A Shot to the Heart
by waragainstreality
Summary: Drabbles, mainly focused on Olicity. They're not in any sort of time order or connected in anyway. Based mostly on tumblr prompts and can be found there as well.
1. Cheiloproclitic

Cheiloproclitic – being attracted to someone's lips

I should be paying attention to the words she's saying, but I'm captivated by the way her lips form words. The edges of her lips are quirked slightly up, like they're ready to instantly spring up into her heart-stopping smile. I want so much to see that smile, every day, to be the cause of all her smiles. Or the way her mouth opens in an 'oh' whenever she's surprised or shocked, like they did that night when we caught Slade.

I should be paying attention. She's giving me a briefing on the serial rapist we've had trouble pinning down in the Glades. Tonight is the night we take him down. The Arrow needs to know this information, but her lips keep teasing my focus away from her briefing. I want to know what they look like after she's been thoroughly kissed.

She presses her lips together in her I'm-not-taking-your-BS-Mr-Queen smirk, but it's the lack of background noise that calls my attention to the end of her briefing. My eyes jerk up to hers with an involuntary twitch of my lips. Her head tips to the side and she swings side to side in her chair.

"Did you get that?" Her eyes twinkle in amusement, lips upturned slightly.

"Of course. Easy take down." My bow grounds me as my eyes dart for one last time down to her fuchsia lips, now smiling up at me from her computer chair. For the thousandth time, their magnetic pull nearly overwhelms me, a siren call reeling me in. A simple press of lips to lips would solve everything, answer any questions about the truth of my words in the mansion that night.

I turn on my heel, heading up the stairs of our new base even as that last glance of her lips is still tattooed on my eyelids. Digg's footsteps echo after me on the rattling metal. I yank the hood up over my head as I slip out the door into a back alley.

"You didn't hear a word, did you?" Digg chuckles at my scowl, shaking his head. "You got it bad, man."

I clench my jaw, turning my back to avoid that knowing look. My grip adjusts on the bow as I walk away.

"Wrong way." Smirk seemingly permanently embedded on his face as he points in the opposite direction. "You sure you want to do this."

"Not a word, Digg. Not a word." I really need to learn to listen.


	2. Quidnunc

Quidnunc – one who always has to know what is going on

Thea squints at her brother through the glass wall of his office. She dips a hand into her purse and opens the camera with a flick of her thumb. The shutter clicks three times before his head turns and she quickly stows the camera back into her bag before beaming at him through the glass. His blonde assistant, slips past Thea with a polite nod and smile before slipping back behind her desk.

Thea watches as her brother composes himself, walking around the desk to wrap her in a hug. Internally, a weary sigh escapes. The brother who hides behind a mask has returned. He's been here since the island. He keeps up his walls and holds everyone at a distance. He doesn't really talk to her or Laurel or anyone really.

"Ready for lunch?"

"Yup, Speedy." Oliver follows his sister to the elevator where she notices him glancing back at his Executive Assistant as if his eyes can't resist looking away for too long.

What is it about her? She doesn't strike Thea as the kind to sleep with her boss, but the smile on her brother's face while talking to her was something she hadn't seen for almost seven years. For those few seconds she had witnessed Oliver hadn't worn a mask, but it wasn't like she could just ask her brother about it.

...

"It was sooo weird, Roy. It was like he could only be himself around her. I mean, look!" Thea shoves her phone at her boyfriend unceremoniously after he deposits the box of liquor on the shelf in the storeroom.

"Felicity?" He smirks at the picture on Thea's phone.

"You know her?" Thea squints as her boyfriend, taking her phone back.

"I've...seen her around." Roy starts rearranging the perfectly manicured shelves.

"Roy Harper! How do you know Oliver's assistant?"

Trapped in the back of the storeroom by his girlfriend's angry glare, Roy's eyes dart around for salvation, but come up lacking.

"I've seen her in the club a couple of times. She's friends with Sara."

"Don't lie to me, Roy."

"I'm telling you the truth. Honest." Roy holds his hands up in surrender.

"But what was that smirk for, Harper?"

"Nothing!"

"Roy!"

"Why don't you just ask your brother?"

"So you do know something!"

Crazy-eyed Roy searches for an exit, pulling at the edge of his hoodie and looking edgier than the time he had to get that shot. Thea narrows her eyes. Roy knows something, but she's clearly going to have to go about this another way...

...

"Why didn't you tell me you were seeing your assistant? Felicity seems so sweet." Thea drops into the barstool next to her brother, watching Felicity weave her way through the swaying clubbers. She just barely holds back a laugh at the effort it takes for him to drag her eyes from her retreating figure.

"What was that, Speedy?"

"You didn't tell me about your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? Felicity?" Oliver sputters, but Thea grins triumphantly. "Speedy, you've got the wrong idea."

"Really, Ollie? Please, set me straight."

He flounders for words, mouth opening and closing, mind grasping for anything else. "We're just friends, Thea. Nothing more. Where did you get that idea?"

"Really? Come on, Ollie. I'm not stupid." His forehead knots in confusion. Thea sighs. "Fine. Don't tell me. At least give me warning _before_ the wedding." She flounces away from the bar without a response. Oliver's epic denial is nothing new, but it doesn't take a genius to see that there's something there. And she's going to save those pictures to show to her future nieces and nephews: _See, this is what your parents looked like before they realized they were in love with each other_.

She chuckles to herself, already seeing the blonde-haired kids laughing and running around. Her brother always was an idiot. She doesn't look behind her to see Roy laughing and Oliver sending him a death glare.


	3. Ultracrepidarian

**Ultracrepidarian **- Of one who speaks or offers opinions on matters beyond their knowledge.

**Felicity smiles at Ray Palmer's Executive Assistant as the woman taps away at her computer with her fake scarlet nails impeding the speed of her typing. The woman barely looks up from the screen to acknowledge her, the only sign that she even saw her walk in is the slight curling of the other woman's fire-engine red manicured lip. **

**Felicity glances through the glass wall into Oliver's former office. His replacement isn't in, but the desk is clearly being used more than when Oliver was its occupant. Felicity can't help but hold a grudging respect for the man. She shifts her purse on her shoulder and helps herself to one of the extra seats. **

**"****Can I help you, Miss Smoak?" **

**Felicity regards the black-haired beauty behind the desk with a laconic smile. Her eyes dart to the name plate on the desk. "No need, Miss Venari. I have an appointment and Mr. Palmer obviously isn't here." **

**"****Sorry? Do you have an appointment, Miss Smoak?" She gives an exaggerated glance over at her computer before offering Felicity an overly polite smile. "I don't have one in my schedule." **

**"****I spoke to Mr. Palmer last night. He set up the appointment personally." Felicity pushes her glasses back up her nose. "If you're worried about your job, don't be. I'm not trying to get my old job back...well, I am trying to get my job back but not the one you have, the one I used to have down in IT. Not that I hated this job, but I never wanted it. I'm sure you're great at it. Just great." **

**Rose Venari taps her pen and purses her lips, scowling at the blonde in front of her, but she doesn't say anything. She merely turns back to her computer with more aggravated tapping. **

**Felicity can't stand the hostility nor the way the woman is manhandling the beautiful equipment in front of her. "If you want to say something to me, Miss Venari, just say it." **

**Rose stops. She waits for a beat before rising to her feet. "Fine. You want to know what's bothering me? It's you: Felicity Smoak. You catch the eye of a billionaire and literally sleep your way to the top. You give all us Executive Assistants a bad name. We don't **_**all**_** sleep with our bosses. And now you have **_**the nerve**_** to ask for your old job back! Are you serious? Are you going to sleep with this boss too? Are you really nothing more than a ladder-climbing whore?" **

**Felicity's nails dig into her palms until she can't hold back anymore. Rose rounds the desk and faces her face on, a mistake on her part. With everything Sara and Dig taught her in the back of her mind, Felicity delivers a beautiful sucker-punch right into the woman's jaw. She collapses to the floor, leaving Felicity hopping up and down shaking her hand against the sudden explosion of pain. **

**As she turns away, her eyes land on the stunned face of the new CEO of Queen Consolidated. Felicity freezes and offers a small smile. Ray Palmer glances from her to his incapacitated assistant. **

**"****Mr. Palmer, I..." Felicity's hands flail for a second as she attempts to find the words for the situation. It suddenly dawns on her she won't be getting this job. She lowers her hands, pressing them together to stop any further unwanted action. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Palmer." **

**Staring at her throbbing hand as the elevator doors close, Felicity grimaces at the prospect of continued job searching, but at least now she won't to deal with pretentious assholes. And Digg and Sara are going to be so proud of her when they hear about that punch. She smirks, that almost makes it worth the pain. **


	4. Apodyopis

**A/N: **Hi! Thanks for reading. I realized that in addition to my summary I might need to clarify a something:

In case you've noticed, there are words that precede each chapter. I was given a list of 25ish words as prompts to write by a friend because of Olicity feels with Comic-con going on. That's what the deal is with the words and it will continue. As a result, these things are not in any particular order.

And thank you everyone for the support! This is my first attempt at fanfic so it means a lot :)

**...**

**Apodyopis - **The act of mentally undressing someone.

**...**

**Felicity was having trouble focusing on the computer before her. She saw the screens, of course, but they were merely panels of light without meaning or visage. Still she trains her eyes on the blank screens instead of allowing them to wander back up to Oliver working on the salmon ladder. She's happy there's one in the new lair and she never questioned the placement of her computer station or the fact that Oliver was the one who originally placed them there. **

**Felicity leans back as her computer manually runs through all feeds for any trouble out in the dark streets of Starling. She folds her hands, staring at the monitors. She doesn't want to make the aftermath of the "I love you" any more awkward. They both know it meant nothing and now every glance she gets at his perfectly sculpted abs feels like a dirty little secret. **

**Oliver hangs halfway up the ladder, one hand on the bar as he glances down at his girl. He notices her clenched hands and her bottom lip caught by her upper teeth. She fidgets and fiddles, focused unilaterally on the machines. He grunts and continues his trek up the ladder. He needs to get rid of this energy pumping through his veins. He can't concentrate, he's absolutely useless today. **

**His muscles contract and release as he pushes his body as far as it will go. Four hours in the lair working out and he still has abundant energy to spare. The day had started off as simple, normal. He, Felicity, and Dig went to several meetings during the day, working to get Queen Consolidated back, until Dig had to go to an appointment with Lyla with OBGYN. Being alone in an elevator with Felicity had been enough to make his heart pound faster, imagining planting a kiss on her and pushing her against the wall. Once he had gotten out of the elevator he had been able to push the image out of his head. **

**It had worked until Ray Palmer walked into the room with a suave smile and winked at Felicity. A feeling he disliked to call jealousy (but begrudgingly had to admit it was) drove him to irritation with the man he probably should have been politer to. **

**What really put him in this mood where he was forced to beat himself to a pulp was not the jealousy or his mental fantasies. It wasn't the pink dress that flattered her. No. It was the glimpse of green fabric he got when Felicity had leaned down to pick of some files she dropped. Her dress gaped open and he was able to see her green bra. **

**His facilities had ceased working and suddenly he couldn't stop seeing Felicity standing there in green underwear and his fantasies took another turn. Looking down at her from the salmon ladder did not help with his problem because it left him with perfect view. **

**Oliver dropped to the ground, adrenaline still flowing through his veins. Felicity shifts and his heightened awareness of her flashes back to that image of green. His eyes linger on Felicity wondering about the green underwear far more than he should. **

**Felicity swivels in her chair as she feels eyes on her and catches her breath as her eyes are drawn to his sweaty, very bare chest before she drags them up to meet his. They hold gazes for minutes, longer than they had since the "I love you." **

**"****So what did I miss?" Roy asks, flopping into a chair as he throws the hood of his signature red hoodie back. Felicity and Oliver guiltily look away from each other. Felicity starts tapping on her keyboard and Oliver examines his arrows. Roy glances around suddenly realizing someone is missing. "Where's Digg?" **

**"****With Lyla." Oliver grabs the suit and heads to the bathroom to change. "I'm going to head out and patrol." **

**"****Right." Roy's eyes dart between Felicity and Oliver before he stands and backs towards the door. "I'm going to head out. I'm tired. It's been a long day. See ya tomorrow." **

**Felicity stares at his retreating back as Oliver emerges from the back room. They share a glance of mutual confusion before Oliver grabs his bow and heads out to patrol. He needs to find some muggers or something. Anything to get his mind off a pretty blonde IT girl in green underwear.**


	5. Gymnophoria

**Gymnophoria -** The sensation that someone is mentally undressing you.

**Felicity stared across the bar at Oliver Queen as she sipped from the red wine in front of her. He glanced up at her as if he could feel her gaze and winked before returning his attention to the girl next to him. Felicity sighed and took another sip of the rich liquid before her. She had known Oliver was going out tonight to get close to their newest target: the woman had some sort of information on the new drug epidemic sweeping through Starling, but for some reason she hadn't realized that meant flirting. Not that she had any right to be jealous. They were just friends, despite the "I love you" and that awkward moment in the lair earlier in the week. Just friends. **

**"****Felicity Smoak! Who was that guy?" Barbara elbowed her suggestively, nursing her own martini. **

**Taking another huge swallow earned Felicity a curious look from her former roommate. Barbara smirked, hiding it behind her glass to avoid detection from her friend. Felicity was pointedly looking anywhere but at her former boss. **

**"****That's Oliver Queen. My former boss." **

**"**_**That's **_**Oliver Queen? Wait! Did you guys sleep together? Queen just **_**winked**_** at you." Barbara takes in his figure, which looks stunning in his tux, with the top buttons undone. She's sure he looks even better naked. If Felicity hasn't slept with him, she's an idiot. **

**"****What? No! We're just...friends." **

**Barbara pounced on the hesitation. "Really? You don't sound so sure about that." **

**"****Friends. Just friends." Felicity's face fell slightly at the words, nothing noticeable except to anyone who knew her well. It was quickly becoming her mantra. Unwanted, her eyes glided back to Oliver, but he was too focused on his mark to take notice this time. **

**"****Maybe we should go, Lis. We can find another bar. We don't have to watch him flirt with that slut." Barbara knew that look. She'd seen it their sophomore year at MIT when Felicity fell for a senior named Kyle. Thank god she had gotten over that. **

**Felicity was steadily on her way to drunkenness as her eyes roved over Oliver, so she merely waved in her friend's direction. "No, it's okay...I mean, look at the way that man pulls off a tuxedo. Its hotter than his other outfit." **

**Barbara smirked at her as she finished her martini. "Alright, you are cut off. You're practically drooling."**

**"****Five more minutes." **

**Barbara Gordon sighed, but gave in, glancing at the object of her friend's attention to see him glance back at Felicity with a heated gaze indicating he wanted to be over here as much as she wanted him to be. Barbara filed that information away. **

**Across the bar, Oliver left his fixed smile on his face as he let the woman in front of him talk on about the dire economic situation in the Glades because of the devastation visited upon it twice in two years. He could feel Felicity's eyes burning into him from across the room. He had noticed her as soon as he had walked in, like his eyes were drawn to her location even though he hadn't know she would be here. **

**She had met his eyes then, but had barely spared him a nod. Now he could feel her eyes running up and down his body and it was distracting as he attempted to turn on the charm with this woman. He couldn't even remember her name right now. **

**He spared a glance sideways when his mark looked away and met Felicity's eyes. He watched as her eyes slid down his body and back up to meet his. He had to turn back to the girl, but his skin heated up under Felicity's gaze. He thought back to the incident with the green underwear. She was doing the same thing: undressing him from across the room and he wanted to be over there with her, flirting, instead of here staring at another woman. **

**"****Actually, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Oliver, but I have to meet up with a client." She laid a hand on his arm, a seductive gaze giving him a once over which had the opposite effect of Felicity's: it chilled him to the bone. "Maybe we'll run into each other again." **

**Oliver let her walk away, still feeling naked under Felicity's heated gaze. His eyes met hers across the room and she bit her lip. He shouldn't have winked at her earlier, but it was getting harder to remember why he couldn't tell her the "I love you" wasn't fake. Right now, under her stare he wasn't even sure he could talk. His mouth had gone dry and the rest of the world was fading away. **

**"****Oliver!" Digg's voice in his ear, shouting and exasperated finally pulled Oliver back. **

**"****What?!" **

**"****Finally! Roy has a location on the girl and the tracker's working well. You coming back to the lair?" **

**"****Yeah. That's probably a good idea." Oliver glanced back over his shoulder at his blonde IT girl as she stumbled into her friend laughing. Talking to her wasn't something he should while she was drunk. It could wait until tomorrow. **


	6. Tarantism

**Tarantism -** The urge to overcome melancholy by dancing.

A/N: So sorry! Apparently this uploaded wrong the first time I attempted it so here goes try #2! I hope you enjoy. Please Review!

_SMACK._

Felicity winced at the sound of Oliver beating up the practice dummy behind her in the new lair. He had been going at it for an hour already and she swore the thing was going to break sometime soon. It couldn't last much longer and they really didn't have the funds to replace it at the moment. It didn't help that the police scanner was unusually quiet tonight.

It was just her and Oliver in the lair tonight and she wished her other boys were here so that Oliver would have someone else to fight, but Diggle was with Lyla and Roy had insisted on patrolling the streets. Tension was running high on her team. She was already alight with nerves as her computers sifted through monstrous amounts of information looking for any sign of Thea Queen, and the worry that Oliver was going to splinter the dummy was only setting her more on edge.

There was finally a pause in the motion behind her. After a few moments, she relaxed back into her chair, kicking off her heels. She hadn't realized how uncomfortable she was until she pulled her feet up onto the chair, curing them under her.

She knew this was stressful for Oliver: his little sister had left with Malcolm Merlyn, not to mention the effect it had on Roy. And with Diggle preoccupied with Lyla, she was living in a basement of simmering anger surrounded by men who refused to talk and only wanted to beat things up, which would be fine, except Felicity hadn't been able to find a scrap of information on Thea after she left the city. In the aftermath of Slade's attack, they had been able to escape without a trace. Felicity herself was feeling frustrated.

_CLANG._

Felicity's eyes jerked up to Oliver on the salmon ladder. He was shirtless and sweat dripped down his bare chest. They hadn't had a chance to really talk about the "I love you." She had expected awkwardness in her usual fashion, but when he found out Thea was missing they fell into their old pattern with ease. But she couldn't shake the feeling that her world had shifted. He was more open with her now, more likely to smile at her babbling despite having a horrible day. He lingered near her and touched her more. But it could be in her mind.

"Do you have anything?"

Felicity jumped at Oliver's voice. She sat up straight, feet dropping to the floor, blinking rapidly. Her screens had finished their searches and the quickly clicked through them. "No. Sorry."

"You should go home and rest, Felicity. You fell asleep." His mouth quirks upward in a sad half-smile. "There's no reason for both of us to awake all night." Sadness settled around him like a blanket and Felicity decided it was time to do something, shaking off her sleepiness.

Oliver walked over to his arrows and started working on them in silence and Felicity's resolve strengthened. She pulled out her ipod and attached it to her portable speakers. "Walking on Sunshine" comes blasting over the speakers and she dances her way over to Oliver and attempts to pull him from his chair.

"Felicity, what are you doing?" He can't hide his amusement even in his sorrow.

"You've been mopey all day."

"So?" He lets her pull him to his feet, smiling as she bobs her head and bounces along to the music. It's an involuntary reaction, like sneezing when you look into a bright light.

Felicity stops moving, eyes serious as they look into his, erasing his smile. "You can't be sad while dancing. You need something to take your mind off Thea. Beating up dummies, the people-kind and the wooden-kind, isn't helping so try this my way."

He nods, letting her drag him into the dance. Laughter escapes him as one song turns into two then three until he's lost count and is smiling wider than he has in a long time. It's all because of the girl dancing with him.

When a slow song comes on, he doesn't think before pulling Felicity against him and swaying in time to the music. He feels her stiffen and then relax into his arms, and he pulls her tighter to him, breathing in her flowery shampoo. He's relaxed now. She was right: this was better than beating himself up. Much better.


	7. Capernoited

**A/N: **Sorry I took so long to update this. I had a bit of writer's block and then I posted on tumblr and forgot about here. So I'm posting two today! Yay! As always, please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

**Capernoited** - Slightly intoxicated or tipsy.

**"****You know, I think this place could use a bar. That's something the other place had. That would be awesome." Roy swings a nearly empty bottle of cheap rum around as he staggers into the new lair. He takes another sip and then frowns at the newly empty bottle. "That's weird. I just got this." **

**Felicity pulls the live comm unit from her ear and spins her computer chair around to face the inebriated teen. It's been a bad couple of months for Roy: the mirakuru and everything that happened because of that and then losing Thea. He had been coping well for a while, pouring himself into Arrow business, but she had sensed that he was going to freak out one day. Apparently that was today. **

**"****Roy-" **

**"****Did you ever think about that, Blondie? Having a bar here? I mean, you like your wine, right? Maybe I should try some of that stuff." He hiccups and then wipes his mouth on his bright red sweatshirt. **

**"****I think you need to get home and sober up, Roy. Oliver's not going to be happy to see you like this." Felicity waves a hand in front of her face to dissipate the alcohol fumes. Her nose scrunches up in distaste as she guides him with her hand. Or rather she attempts to because he brushes her away and stumbles towards the punching bags on the opposite wall. **

**"****No, Felisssss-city, I have to practice." **

**She sighs, glancing at her computers. Digg and Oliver should be on their way back now. They don't need her on comms, but who knows what Oliver will do if he sees Roy like this. She slowly nears him, reaching her hand out until it rests on his shoulder. He stills under her hand, looking over his shoulder. **

**"****It's going to be okay, Roy. We're going to find her." **

**He snorts, shakes her off and turns back to the bag. "Yeah, you and Oliver are working **_**so**_** hard on this right now." **

**Felicity frowns, crossing her arms. "What does that mean?" **

**"****It means that you two are too busy making googley eyes at each other to care much about anything else." Roy rounds on Felicity, face red as his anger rises to the surface. He pushes her back a step then two until she's had enough and she starts pushing back. **

**"****Don't you take that tone with me, Roy Harper! I am doing my best and Oliver is just as worried about his sister as you are! So guess what? You are going home, right now. You are going to go to sleep and sober up. Then tomorrow, you will be back here to help Oliver patrol. We won't mention this ever again as long as you do exactly what I say. Got it?" **

**More out of surprise and drunkenness than because of her strength, Roy stumbles back a few steps. His mouth hands open as he nods, closing it to swallow after. **

**"****Good." Felicity steps to the side. "Now get out of here before Oliver and Digg show up." He nods and stumbles past her. She watches him flail up the steps, not moving until the door shuts behind him. **

**She crosses the room, picking up the empty rum bottle. It lands on her computer desk with a dull clunk as she falls back into her seat, fiddling with her keyboard as she stares at the computer screen. **

**A few minutes later, the door opens and booted footsteps make their way over to Felicity's computer, but she's so absorbed in them that she starts as a hand lands on her shoulder. Oliver offers her a small smile. **

**"****Digg went home to Lyla." His eyes dart to the empty liquor bottle and back to Felicity. "Do I need to talk to him?" **

**She doesn't ask how he knows the bottle isn't hers, doesn't question his knowledge at all. She just shakes her head and keeps sorting through everything on her desktops in search of anything related to Thea Queen's disappearance. **

**He sighs. "Are you sure?" **

**Felicity's blue eyes meet his. "Let's just find Thea." **

**Silently, he nods, checking her over for any damage as she goes back to work, but he sees nothing of concern. His eyes linger longer than necessary before he grabs the bottle and walks away. Felicity notices but doesn't say anything. Neither of them really has since the incident. Despite Roy's comments, they tacitly agreed that finding Thea comes first. So they sit in silence as she searches her computers and he cleans his bow and arrows, ignoring the three words that still echo in both their heads: **_**I love you.**_


	8. Lalochezia

**Lalochezia** - The use of abusive language to relieve stress or ease pain.

**"****Oliver?!" Felicity's hands clench around the edge of her desk as she listens to the sudden silence over the comms. The last thing she heard was Oliver's grunt and a barrage of bullet shots. She doesn't even hear him breathing over the unit. "OLIVER! YOU BETTER FUCKING ANSWER ME OR, SO HELP ME, I AM GOING TO RUIN YOU! OLIVER!" **

**There are no cameras on his position. Felicity frantically taps away on her computers, hacking as necessary in attempt to find her leather-clad hero. Her heart pounds erratically in her chest as her fingers start to grow numb. Her eyes glance sideways to her phone resting on the metal table. Digg is just a phone call away. He can be where Oliver was last seen in fifteen minutes...but he's also with Lyla and she promised Oliver she wouldn't bring him in unless absolutely necessary. **

**Her hand wraps around the familiar rectangle, thumbing through her contacts. Oliver could be out there dying somewhere. Her thumb pauses over Diggle's number before landing on the one below it as she raises it to her ear. **

**"****I swear to God, Oliver, if you die, I'm going to bring you back just so I can kill you all over again." The ringing on the other end stops. **

**"****Hey, Blondie, what's up?" **

**"****Roy, I need your help." **

**"****With what? I thought we were taking the night off." **

**Felicity grimaces, but the image of Oliver lying on the pavement in a pool of his own blood. He's not going to be happy about this, but at least he'll be alive. "I need you to get over to the docks, right now." **

**"****What's going on, Blondie?" She can already hear him moving, glad that he doesn't hesitate even if he has questions. **

**"****Oliver went down to the docks. I heard gunshots and he isn't responding." **

**"****What's he doing by the docks?" Felicity hears the purr of his motorcycle and relaxes minimally, tapping mint green fingernails against the metal surface of her desk. She doesn't want to go into this right now. **

**"****Just get there, Roy. He could be dying so I don't want to deal with your shit." She closes her eyes and breatehs. 3...2...1... "Sorry, Roy, I didn't mean it. I'm just freaking out." **

**"****I didn't even realize you could curse. This must be bad." **

**Felicity pulls up a map of the city, Roy's phone represented as a blinking red dot as it moves fluidly through the city. "Turn right up ahead. Then take the next left. I lost contact with him in a warehouse at the end of that street, but be careful." **

**"****Got it." Felicity's foot joins in her tapping as she watches Roy's blinking red dot. It slows as he approaches the building. "Alright, Blondie, I'm going in on foot from here." **

**"****Be careful, Arsenal." **

**"****Did Arrow give you an idea of what I'll find?" **

**"****He was on his way out when all of a sudden I heard gunshots." **

**"****And where's Digg?" **

**"****Just get him, Roy!" **

**"****But-" **

**"****Roy! Right now, all I care about is getting both of you back here in one fucking piece so I can beat some sense into Oliver!" **

**Felicity watches his dot as he moves into the warehouse, creeping now, motion barely visible on her screens. She hears his mumbling on the other end of the Bluetooth, but she ignores it. It's not important. Her fingers fiddle with the jade pendant on her necklace. The green stone is cold in her fingers, but it's the only sensation keeping her grounded as her mind shifts through a thousand scenarios that all end with Oliver bleeding out on the concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse. **

**"****Hey, Blondie...I don't think there's anything to worry about." It takes Felicity a moment to realize Roy's voice comes from Oliver's comm and not the Bluetooth that he apparently hung up. "He's not here." **

**"****WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S NOT THERE?!" Her hands slam into the table and she pulls herself up. **

**"****And on that note, I'm going home. You can deal with him when he gets back. And I am so glad I won't be there for that. Bye, Blondie." Felicity closes the link and starts pacing. She resumes fiddling with the necklace, glancing regularly back at the door. When it finally opens, she spins on her heel and meets him a couple steps into the lair, stopping him with a punch in the arm, which she's pretty sure hurts her more than it hurts him. **

**"****WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS!" **

**His hand rests on her upper arm as he meets her eyes. "I'm sorry, Felicity. I lost my comm and I left my phone here. I'm okay." **

**The anger in her eyes dissipates minimally. Her eyes sweep over his face, checking for damage on his person. Her eyes find the blood on his abdomen. She steps closer, fingers lifting to the wet, red spot. **

**"****Shit! Oliver, you're bleeding." **

**He pulls her hand away with a grimace and tilts her head back up so her eyes lock with his. "It's not mine, Felicity. I'm **_**fine**_**." **

**He chuckles at her disbelieving look and leans down, pressing his lips against hers. She responds after a moment, worry and anxiety making her pull him in to reassure herself that he's here and he's safe.**

**Oliver pulls back and meets her eyes, running a thumb over her lower lip. "I promise next time I'll bring an extra comm." **

**She slaps his arm again pulls away. "You got that right. You scared the shit out of me, Oliver Queen." **


	9. Basorexia

A/N: _This deviated from the original prompt, but I think you'll like it (or at least I hope you do). Write a review to let me know what you think. I love feedback. All these stories are also posted on my tumblr: so you can follow me there too (if you really want to). AS always, thanks for reading and enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: Arrow and these characters are owned by the CW and not me. _

* * *

**Basorexia** - An overwhelming desire to kiss.

Felicity leaned back in her chair, biting her lip as she watched Oliver move up the salmon ladder. It was her favorite part of the day. What woman wouldn't appreciate a fine, _shirtless _male specimen working out in her line of sight? It was downright distracting, but Felicity had set up her computer to run it's searched without her manual assistance so she could enjoy the view.

Laurel came up to stand right next to Felicity and followed her gaze up to her ex-boyfriend. Her mouth fell open in appreciation. "I don't know how you get any work done," she whispers to Felicity, who quickly shakes herself out of her stupor. She hadn't even heard Laurel come in.

She coughs to cover how flustered she is. "Oh, you get used to it. I'm sure you have. I mean, you were dating so I'm sure you're used to seeing him half-naked." She winces at her own words. "Wow, I totally didn't mean to just say that. Did I actually say that out loud? I'm going back to my computers now." It's a pity the program is still running so she doesn't actually have anything to do on them right now.

She doesn't have much to worry about because Laurel just laughs. "So you're telling me you don't enjoy staring at that every day?"

Felicity glances back up at Oliver, his barely there grin telling her he's heard every word. She wonders if Laurel can see that grin. It stirs her body and Felicity feels an ache in her soul, one that screams for her to kiss him, to kiss that little grin until it blooms into a bright smile and he pulls her in for more.

Laurel glances at the IT girl. The blonde's eyes are focused on Oliver and she wears a quiet smile, lost in her own thoughts. Oliver drops back to the ground and Laurel's eyes dart back to him. He pulls on his grey shirt and joins them on the other side of the computer screens.

"You got anything, Felicity?" His hand settles on her shoulder as she leans into the chair and his touch.

She shakes her head and smiles up at him. "It's all quiet. I'm keeping an eye on the police scanner, but nothing. Roy's on patrol with Digg. They stopped a couple muggings and an attempted rape. According to Digg, the girl tried to kiss Roy in thanks but he shot her down and just escorted her home instead."

Felicity's eyes take in Oliver's face, dropping down to his lips unconsciously as she mentions the girl coming on to Roy. He squeezes her shoulder, eyes drinking her in to. That look in her eyes drives him crazy. They agreed weeks ago that nothing could happen in the lair, not where their teammates could just walk in on them. They didn't want any awkward work situations, especially with Laurel now being in on the secret. Oliver also didn't want another of Diggle's speeches.

Laurel presses her lips together to hide her smirk, instead crossing her arms over her chest as she waits for them to remember her presence. After a couple minutes of them having intense eye sex she coughs, causing both to jump and turn to her in surprise.

"Do you need a moment?" She gestures between them. "I can go find Roy and John while you rip each other's clothes off."

"What? No...Laurel, it's not like that. Oliver and I...totally not a thing. At all." Oliver shifts uncomfortably by her side.

"Really? Because there was some intense eye sex happening just now." Laurel smirks as they both squirm. "And on that note, I'll see you tomorrow." She grabs Sara's jacket from the chair she draped it over as she shakes her head. Her phone lights up as she slips it from her pocket and pulls up her group conversation. _Fifty bucks says they're already having sex._

_I'll take that bet._Roy smirks at his phone. The new girl hasn't been around Oliver and Felicity enough to know the epic proportions of their sexual tension.

Diggle chuckles as he walks down the street. _One more month before they finally kiss._

Across the world, Sara pulls her phone from her bra and chuckles as she shows it to Nyssa beside her. Nyssa shakes her head.

"If your former lover has not slept with her yet, I may go back and steal her away." Sara raises an eyebrow and her girlfriend smirks. She reaches out to caress Sara's face. "Do not worry, Ta-er al-Sahfer, I can keep you both."

Shaking her head, Sara types a quick response: _Someone should warn oliver that Nyssa will sweep in if he doesn't._

Laurel laughs as she reads the text. She's already won the bet.

Down in the lair, Felicity stares at the text messages on her computer and leans back into Oliver. His arms wrap around her waist and she rests her head on his shoulder from her position on his lap. "Well, Laurel's on to us."

Oliver chuckles, turning his head to place a kiss on the crown of her head. "Hmm...it was going to happen eventually." He breathes in her apple shampoo, closing his eyes.

"I thought we agreed not to do anything in the lair so no one would find out." Her disapproving words are contrasted by her relaxing into him.

"It wouldn't be so hard if you stopped staring at me like that." Oliver nuzzles his nose into her neck, placing a kiss where her neck meets her shoulder. She sighs, prompting another smile.

"You had that stupid grin on your face." Felicity turns her head back and Oliver steals a kiss, one hand reaching up to stroke her cheek.

Felicity pulls away to rest her forehead against his. "So, who should we let win the bet?" She turns back to the screen. She wasn't happy with invasions of privacy, but when Diggle and Roy had started texting each other and whispering suspiciously she had decided it was in her best interest to look into it. She's been keeping an eye on the conversation for the past month. "I mean, technically, there's already a winner."

Oliver sighs, reluctantly eying the text conversation.

"Honestly, I thought Digg would be the one to figure it out." Felicity tilts her head at the conversation. She glances at another screen. "Digg and Roy are almost back." She moves to get out of the seat, but Oliver's arms hold her against him. She twists around to give him a look and he gives her his infuriating smile that melts her and makes her want to kiss him all over again.

He lifts a hand to run his thumb over her bottom lip as he pulls her closer. "I think it's about time they found out, because you're giving me that look again.

The lair door opens and Diggle and Roy enter, bantering about the girl who hit on Roy, but they stop short when they see the couple entwined in Felicity's chair.

"Shit," Digg mutters, knowing he lost the bet.

Roy, similarly frozen at the base of the stairs, lifts his phone and snaps a picture. Laurel smirks at her phone as it beeps a notification and across the world Sara laughs. Felicity and Oliver hear the computer ding, but they ignore it as they break their no-PDA-in-the-lair rule.


	10. Wanweird

Wanweird - An unhappy fate.

Diggle stood apart, watching Oliver clutch Felicity's unresponsive hand as he sat next to her in the new lair. The machines hooked up to her were steadily beeping, an assurance that she was still alive. Her heart was still beating and she would make it through this. The frazzled doctor stood off to the side, wiping his hands on a rag before wiping the sweat off his forehead.

He had helped Oliver kidnap the doctor. Diggle wasn't proud of that, but the man had saved Felicity's life and that alone made it worth it. He didn't think Oliver would have gotten over this if Felicity had died. Hell, Digg didn't think he would have gotten over it. She had become one of his best friends and this was a jarring wake up call.

"She's going to be fine. Just make sure you keep an eye on her. The swelling in her brain is going down and there should be no permanent damage." The doctor looks at a loss, staring at Oliver still in his Arrow suit leaning over Felicity, her blood matting her hair and staining Oliver's suit. "I should still take a look-"

"Thank you, doctor. I'll get you home." Digg crosses the room to escort the man away from a bereaved hero not in his right mind from all his worrying.

"But I should still check the Arrow. Not all that blood is from her, you know." He continues to look over his shoulder.

"Trust me, Doc. He's going to be fine. I promise, I'll stich him up myself."

Reluctantly the man leaves, mostly because Diggle is obviously not giving him an option to stay. He even walks the doctor to his car and watches him drive away. Doctor Jergins is not surprised by the antics, but he wonders why they let him know the location of their hideout. Weren't they worried he would tell the police?

Diggle sighs and stares up at the black canvas of sky, stars rendered invisible by the bright city lights. His worry and fear is already gnawing at his insides. He knew it was too dangerous to bring her in. He had told Oliver back in the beginning and now he couldn't imagine their team without Felicity. She was their heart. She kept them going when they should have fallen apart. She was the glue holding them together. She was irreplaceable.

Oliver clenched her hand in the lair, thinking very much the same things as Diggle. He watched her chest rise and fall. He relished every beep of the monitor that tracked her heartbeats. He thought he had lost her earlier when her heart stopped and his entire world had come crashing down around him with that single blaring tone.

Felicity had gotten hurt again, because of him and the hood he put on every night. This was the exact reason he had let her go after their disaster of a date, but it had happened anyway. Someone had made the connection and Tockman had kidnapped her. He couldn't remember details of what happened in the last few hours. He remembers a gun pointed at her head, demanding he lower his bow; a dank basement with a dripping pipe; fighting through a horde of men to get to her, getting hurt along the way, but not caring; carrying her back here, pleading with her, begging her to fight for life because he didn't know what he'd do without her.

Oliver's head jerks up as the small hand clutched between his gives him a squeeze. Her face is bloody and beaten, but her blue eyes meet his and he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Lifting her hand to his lips, he kisses it, never breaking eye contact.

"I thought I lost you...again." The words hurt coming out, conjuring memories of other times she lay hurt on the metal table before him.

She releases a broken chuckle that turns into a cough. He holds up a cup of water, the straw out towards her, and she takes a tip. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

His thumb strokes the back of her head as it grips his, reassured by her response to his presence more than by her talking. He swallows hard, drinking in her expression and smile, everything because it was so close to being ripped away from him.

"Is this the part where you give me the speech about me being in danger because of you again? Not that I didn't enjoy it last time, but it's not like it made much of a difference. I still ended up back on this table. You didn't go Arrow and kill someone did you? Because that is not okay. I'm fine so you didn't have to freak out or anything."

"Felicity." He smiles at her babbling because despite the machines, it assures him she will be fine. She's already on her way to recovering. He's torn between pulling away now and letting her sleep and never letting her leave his side ever again. He needs to know she's going to be fine, but she moves before he can, swinging her legs over the side of the table and sitting up.

"Whoa. The world is spinning." She rests a hand on her head as if to balance herself for second and Oliver jumps up just in case she starts to pitch forward and he needs to catch her. "I'm fine now."

"Felicity, you should take it easy." Oliver grits his teeth as she ignores his advice and slides off the table to the floor, disconnecting herself from the machines calmly and methodically. "You just got shot and you had major brain swelling –"

"And now I'm alive and talking to you." She moves her hand to brush hair out of her face and encounters the matted clump of dried blood in her hair. "This is going to take forever to wash out."

She takes a step, or rather she tries to but stumbles and Oliver catches her, lowering her into the chair he recently vacated. "You know, it's okay to rest for a couple of days, Felicity. You almost died today. We thought you had." He swallows his tears, not liking the way his voice cracks at the end of the sentence, but she drags him back with a hand on his cheek. Her blue eyes are clear as they meet his.

"And now you know what I go through every time you get hurt. The day you told me you were the Hood, your heart stopped beating, Oliver, yet when you woke up you were moving around immediately. I may not parkour through the city at night fighting evildoers, but I'm stronger than you think I am."

Her thumb runs over his bottom lip and she makes the split-second decision to lean forward and peck him on the lips before pulling back. Then she laughs. Oliver's face wrinkles in confusion as to why kissing him would make her giggle.

"Just think, if you hadn't been so pig-headed and insisted we couldn't date, then you might have been there and I wouldn't have been kidnapped!" She pokes him in the chest with triumphant glee. "You've got a flaw in your plan, Mr. Queen."

A smile blossoms on his face and he lifts his hand to stroke her check. Felicity leans into it, humming contently. "Felicity Smoak, would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow? You can pick the place."

Oliver waits as her eyes search his face. He leaves it open, like a book for her to read, watching as her lips part into a smile that makes her look beautiful even while beaten up. "How about breakfast? I'm starving."

He laughs. It's not perfect. He's sure it isn't even wise, but she's the light of his life. He sees death and destruction every day and faces it with joy in her heart because of her. He can't let her go because she chooses this unhappy fate just as much as he does and she makes it bearable. They might as well be in this together.

"Sounds like a plan."


	11. Dystopia

_A/N: So...this prompt turned into this big idea that I'm considering turning into a multi-chapter fic, so please please let me know what you think about this. I hope you enjoy this! _

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Dystopia - Am imaginary place of total misery. A metaphor for hell.

Oliver is having the day from hell. All day he had to sit through endless meetings about the state of Queen Consolidated and the chances of him getting it back. The problem with his plan is that Roy Palmer is actually good at running the company. It's flourishing under his leadership, which is more than the board can say about when he was running it.

All he had wanted to do tonight was beat up some bad guys and work out his frustration. Instead, a recently-returned Tockman had led him into a trap and hit him with some sort of electrical charge. As a result his comm is useless and his phone is fried. And on top of it all, he lost his bow.

The smell of burnt hair follows him as he walks from the warehouse to his bike. Oliver knows Felicity will be worried sick so he wants to get back to the lair as soon as possible. He pauses after walking through the same door he entered through. Where his bike was, he now finds a dumpster and huddle of homeless people warming up around a fire.

He quickly ducks back into the safety of the building. He was sure there hadn't been anyone around here when he showed up, but he's too preoccupied with getting back to the lair to realize that not only are there new occupants on the street, but the buildings around him are now covered in graffiti with broken windows where there used to be lit windows shining into the night. He just knows he needs to get back to Felicity and Digg now.

...

Oliver slips through the alley to the new lair dressed in a ratty pair of jeans and a huge, smelly coat that covers his Arrow costume. He doesn't recall seeing so many homeless people when he drove past on his bike earlier, but he doesn't question it.

A scan of his eye opens the door with a slight squeak. One light shines down like a spotlight in the middle of the workout gear and Oliver finally pauses. He can't see Felicity or Digg. The computers are off, no blinking lights greeting him in their general direction. Unconsciously, his hand reaches for his bow before he remembers he lost it. Sticking to the shadows, he creeps down the stairs and reaches for the power button on the computer.

"Don't even think about it." A gun clicks behind him as a bullet enters the chamber to reinforce the words. Oliver doesn't recognize the voice. It's female, but it sounds hard, jaded, like him after five years on the island. Something about it tugs at the back of his mind.

He raises his hands in surrender, starting to twist.

"Don't move. I don't like killing, but I have nothing against taking out your knees."

Oliver freezes. He's turned around enough to know that the intruder is not close enough to engage in hand to hand combat. He then hears a yawn from the darkened depths of the lair and the squeak of springs from the cot.

"Wh- Intruder!" The male voice shouts, bare feet padding across the concrete floor.

Oliver's teeth grind together. _He's the intruder? Where the hell are Digg and Felicity?_

"What are you doing here?" The male voice demands, sleepiness replaced by ire.

Oliver has had enough. "What am I doing here?! What are you doing here? Here are Felicity and Diggle?" He spins, anger outweighing his worry about getting shot. All he wants is to find Felicity and pull her into a hug to reassure both of them that they're okay.

He freezes as his eyes land on the two people holding him at gunpoint. There are actually three people and he hazily recognizes them all. An older Roy trains an arrow at him, standing in only red pajama pants. Scars criss-cross his chest and one of his eyes is covered by an eye patch that Oliver somehow doesn't think is just for decoration. It takes him longer to recognize Laurel in the middle. Her once-long hair has been sheared so it stands straight up an inch from her head. She's dressed in black and a tattoo shows on her arm, two escrima in her hands. The third figure paralyzes his breath, freezing it in his chest.

Felicity holds the gun on him, hands unwavering. The gun might be in her hands, but he recognizes the bow slung over the shoulder as his own and she's dressed in his signature green. It almost stops his heart, but as his eyes meet hers everything inside him turns to stone. Her blue eyes, usually so filled with kindness, are cold and hollow. She's not his Felicity.

His Felicity always brimmed with emotion. She believed in the value of human life. She lived for her computers and would never touch a gun.

Oliver doesn't know what sick reality he's living, but without his Felicity, he already knows its hell.


	12. Mommy Issues

**Tumblr prompt: **Hey can you write something like when Felicity was child her mother hit and beat her and suddenly Oliver hear this

_A/N: 1. I am accepting prompts (here or on tumblr, but preferably on tumblr). _

_2. I am working on a multi-chapter fic based on the previous prompt, so keep an eye out for that. _

_3. I do not own Arrow or any characters. _

_As always, I appreciate any and all feedback, and I hope you enjoy the story :) _

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Mommy Issues

"Felicity, you don't _have_ to see your mother. No one would blame you if you never wanted to see her again." Barbara leans back into the park bench, watching as her best friend paces in the walkway, oblivious to the other runners and racing children.

"But she's my _mother_. I can't spend the rest of my life avoiding her."

"She used to beat you, Licity."

"She _what?_"

Barbara's head snaps to the right and Felicity spins to face the man whose hands are balled into fists, jaw noticeably clenching. Barbara recognizes Oliver Queen from the night she and Felicity went to the bar and she is no less intrigued by his presence this time. Felicity, on the other hand, has gone pale. She never wanted him to find out about her mother. She never imagined a situation where Oliver would find out about her past. It's not like her past was a big deal compared to five years stranded on an island. _She's_ not the one with scars covering her body, after all.

"What does she mean 'your mom beat you'?" Oliver steps closer to his girl as she bites her lip. He doesn't want her to hurt, ever. His protective instincts rage at the idea of her ever hurting, even as he knows he's years too late. He rests a hand lightly on Felicity's shoulder, the contact grounding him again as his eyes search hers.

"It's nothing, Oliver."

He glances sideways at Barbara. He recognizes the redhead from the bar watching them curiously, but he can easily identify the worry in her eyes. He shifts his attention back to Felicity. "Somehow I don't think that's the case. Is this what you've been worried about?"

Felicity glances at her friend, but Barbara just takes a sip of her coffee and continues to observe. Oliver's hand is distracting as his thumb rubs circles on her shoulder. Reluctantly, her eyes meet his again. She can feel them working their magic, digging into her soul and drawing out their secrets. It's like a superpower with Oliver.

She sighs. "My mom is coming to Starling and she wants to meet up with me."

His hand slides down Felicity's arm to her elbow, guiding her to the bench so she sits next to Barbara with a loud exhale. Oliver squats in front of her, holding her hands in his, continuing those thought-befuddling circles with his thumbs. Felicity stares at their joined hands before raising her eyes once more.

"She's better now. At least, according to the rehab facility. She was only mean when she was drinking. She was fine the rest of the time. And she was always sorry for everything the next morning. I shouldn't really hold it against her."

"Felicity, do you want to see you mother?" He focuses solely on the woman before him. He's seen her work through her terror before, admired her bravery when he went into battle as the Arrow, watched her take on Slade despite her shaking hands, but this destroys him because she looks so lost.

Felicity pulls on hand from his and starts playing with her green pendant, sliding it up and down the chair. Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver notices the redhead shift, but he keeps his focus on his blonde.

"I don't know, Oliver. I haven't seen her in years. And what if she is better? I can't hold a grudge on my mom." She drops her pendant and suddenly meets Oliver's eyes. "Oh! Oliver, I am sooo sorry. After what happened to your mom..." She glances sideways at her friend. "Would you talk to your mom again? If you could?"

Oliver swallows hard. His mother. She died for him. How could he not forgive her if he found her alive again? Then again, if she was still living he doesn't know how they would have mended fences. "We're not talking about me, Felicity. We're talking about you."

Felicity stares up at the sky, emotions waging a war on her features. Oliver waits for a response.

"She wasn't a bad person, Oliver. She would only drink too much on days when work at the casino was too rough and she couldn't find someone else to take her home. She mostly just yelled a lot. There was that one incident where she cracked my ribs but that was a freak accident." She pauses as Oliver's hands clench around hers, drawing her eyes back to him. "It wasn't a big deal, Oliver."

He works his jaw. "Your mother hurt you, Felicity. It is never okay for a parent to hurt a child."

"It was only that one time...and then there was the other incident, but that wasn't her fault."

"What other incident?" She closes her eyes and bites her bottom lip. A tear escapes under her lids. H es her hand to wipe away her tears with his thumb. She leans into his hand. A strained "Fe-li-ci-ty" escapes him.

Her teary eyes open along with her mouth which flaps as she searches for words, until she finally shakes her head. "I-I can't tell you, Oliver. I just can't." He'll look at her like she's broken and that would kill her. It's the way people always looked at her when she told them about her mother's boyfriend and what he did to her. "But I do want to see her."

"You don't have to tell me. Just remember that I'm here if you ever want to talk." Oliver rises to place a kiss on her forehead. "And if you want to see your mother, I'd be happy to accompany you."

Felicity smiles at him, squeezing the one hand still wrapped around hers. "Thank you."

The desire to protect her swells into a raging bonfire. He never wants her hurt this way. He wants her to confide him more than he ever thought possible and he wants to kiss away all her pain until she forgets. He sits with Felicity and Barbara, just talking and a new resolve solidifies within him: he will do everything in his power to make sure she never hurts again.


	13. The Talk

Olicity prompt: Roy and Diggle have a "talk" with Oliver when they find out he is asking Felicity out on a date.

* * *

**The Talk**

Oliver hums as he races glides down the stairs to the lair, dancing on air in the aftermath of Felicity's 'yes.' The whole world seems brighter, even the underground lair. He nods to Diggle and Roy, working on the training mats, veering off to change into workout clothes.

He walks out of the bathroom whistling to stop short as Diggle and Roy face off against him, arms crossed. He frowns, whistle stuck between his teeth. He glances between the two. "What's up?"

Roy glances at Diggle and he steps forward, "We wanted to talk to you, Oliver."

"So talk." Oliver slips past them with a small smile, a spring returned to his step. He moves to the salmon ladder and prepares to jump up when Digg speaks again.

"It's about Felicity."

Oliver turns back to Digg, worry clouding his features. His mind races through the worst possibilities, but considering he just saw her fifteen minutes ago, he dismisses most of them. "What about Felicity?"

"It's about your date."

Oliver's lips twitch involuntarily at the mention of their dinner date. "What about it?"

Roy and Diggle share another look, this time earning Oliver's attention. He steps away from the ladder and watches the two men carefully. "What's going on?"

"Oliver," Digg steps forward again. "You better know what you're doing."

"I do, Digg. I'm not going to hurt her. This...this is right." Oliver stares at the ground, a stupid smile plastered on his face, but he can't bring himself to care.

"You're damn right you're not going to hurt her." Oliver's eyes dart back to Digg. He has his serious face plastered on, no joking glint to his eyes, no amusement. "If you hurt her, Oliver, I will hurt you ten times worse. As will Roy and Sara. She's the heart of this team. We protect her. Without a doubt, we will choose her over you. No contest. This is your only warning."

"You-You're giving me the protective-father speech?" Oliver chokes back a laugh, quickly fixing his expression back into a serious one. He swallows another laugh. "I would never do anything to hurt her, Digg."

"We're not saying you would," Roy scoffs. "Blondie is the only one of us who's actually happy and looks on the bright side. If you ruin that, you're going to a special level of hell."

The humor of the situation vanishes from Oliver. He runs a hand through his hair and stares at the concrete floor. He knows all the risks. They've run though his mind a thousand times over, torturing himself with every vision of her destroyed and bleeding. "You don't think I know that?" He meets Roy's eyes and then Digg's. "I can protect her. I will _always_ protect her."

Digg grunts and nods before glancing at his watch. "You better get going. You don't want to be late."

Butterflies erupt in his stomach at the prospect and glances up at the salmon ladder before grabbing his bag and heading over to the stairs. He glances back over his shoulder. "And if I do hurt her, I won't fight back."

Digg nods, pacified with the statement. Roy snorts but relaxes his stance.

"Oh, and Oliver?" The man in question turns back to face his best friend. Digg finally lets his smirk bubble up to the surface. "It's about damn time."

Oliver beams and disappears up the stairs while Diggle and Roy turn to each other. The younger man groans, turning to his mentor. "They're going to be insufferable now. You do realize that, right?"

Diggle laughs, dragging Roy back to the mats to spar. "And that is when we start doing more patrols."


	14. Concilliabule

Concilliabule - A secret meeting of people who are hatching a plot.

* * *

"Are you sure we should do this?" Roy shifts nervously. His hoodie shadows his face, shoulders hunched against the cold as he glances around the alley.

Diggle snorts, his breath vapor in the air between them. "No, but if we don't, this is just going to get worse."

"It can't get any worse!" Roy pauses, contemplating the situation. "Can it?"

Sara's derisive snort comes through the phone held between the two men. "Please! Those two are so pig-headed, neither is going to make the first move without a little push."

"Easy for you to say! You're halfway around the world." Roy starts pacing. "Oliver's going to kill me."

Neither Sara nor Diggle disagree, which only increases Roy's aggravation. He shakes his head, muttering under his breath. "How do I get myself into this shit?"

"Just think of it as bringing two people together. You're doing the community a service." Roy glares at the phone in place of the blonde assassin.

"Community service doesn't usually include risking your life."

"You'll be flirting with a beautiful girl! I would do it if I were there."

"You can also kick Oliver's butt, so I'm sorry I'm a little nervous about suddenly finding an arrow sticking out of my chest."

"He didn't kill you when you were tripping on Mirakuru. He's not going to kill you for flirting with Felicity." Diggle sighs, shifting the phone to his other hand.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure Felicity is where he draws the line." He resumes his pacing. "And then there's Thea. He already doesn't like me because I was dating his younger sister. This is only going to make it worse. I'm not going to live to see my next birthday."

"You have to do this Roy, for Felicity and Oliver."

"Do what for Felicity and Oliver?"

Roy and Digg both jump, spinning towards the feminine voice. Laurel watches them expectantly from beside the door to the lair. She offers them a small smile, but neither man feels comfortable enough to let her in on their plan. It's Sara's tinny voice that finally speaks up.

"Laurel? Is that you?"

"Sara?" Laurel steps closer, glancing curiously at the boys who seem more or less frozen in place. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just plotting. You want in?"

Roy shoots an alarmed look at Digg who shares his trepidation at including this girl. Laurel senses the discomfort and falls back a step. "No. I think I'm good. I'll just leave you to your planning."

"What? Digg, Roy, stop scaring her off. We could use her help."

"Really? What's she going to do? Flirt with Blondie?" Roy snorts, walking away again. Why did he have to be the only single male capable of flirting with their techie?

Laurel frowns. "Felicity? Why are you flirting with Felicity?"

Roy sheepishly turns away and Digg shifts, unwilling to explain to her because he doesn't know how she'll respond.

"Because the idiot still hasn't asked her out so we're going to give him a little push."

The smugness oozes out of Sara's voice, even through the phone. Diggle watches Laurel's face as she struggles with her emotions, going from confused to irritated to amused. Her eyes land on Roy with a smirk.

"So you're going to flirt with Felicity to make him jealous?"

Roy nods and Laurel starts laughing. She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "So what do you need me to do? Flirt with Oliver?"

"No!" Digg and Sara immediately respond, startling the smile off Laurel's face.

"Laurel, I love you, but if Felicity thought you were still in love with Oliver, she would step out of the way and it would ruin everything."

Laurel scowls, crossing her arms defensively. "Hey!"

"It's true." Digg agrees.

Laurel huffs. "So what do you need me to do?"

"Keep an eye on Felicity. Make sure she knows you're over Oliver." Silence lasts for a moment, Digg and Roy staring at Laurel to gauge her reaction. "You are over him, right, Laurel?"

Digg narrows his eyes as Laurel swallows before nodding slowly. Her voice cracks on her affirmative, "Yeah. He really has moved on, hasn't he?"

Roy shifts nervously at the anxiety in her voice, but Sara fields the question. "And you should too, Laurel. Are you in or not?"

"I'm in." Laurel straightens, determination glittering in her eyes.

"Good. Operation Olicity starts tonight. Don't forget your job, Abercrombie."

Roy spares the phone a glare. "I got it."

"Good. Keep me updated. Ciao." The line clicks and Digg slips the phone back into his pocket.

"Let's head inside. It's freezing out here."

"Better cold than dead," Roy mutters as Digg punches in the security code and leads the group down into the lair. Felicity looks over from her position at the computers where she was not-so-subtly staring at Oliver on the salmon ladder.

"Hey! Where have you guys been?" She raises an eyebrow at them.

Oliver drops to the ground and comes to stand beside his IT girl.

"I got out of work late." Laurel pushes past the boys, smiling brilliantly. "By the way Felicity, I love your dress. We're going to have to go shopping together sometime." Felicity smiles in response, nodding as Oliver frowns.

Digg elbows Roy and jerks his head towards Felicity while the couple is otherwise distracted. He groans, but makes his way over to Felicity's desk as Oliver moves towards Digg. With one last worried glance at an oblivious Oliver, Roy hops up on the edge of Felicity's desk, pulling his hands out of his pocket.

"How are you doing today, beautiful?"

Felicity raises an amused eyebrow at his antics and he winces at the words that just came out of his mouth. She leans back at tilts her head at him. "Really? That's what you're going with?"

He shoots a furtive glance at Digg only to find Oliver watching him. Internally he sighs, _What the hell? I might as well go for it._ He slides off the desk, resting his arm against the back of Felicity's chair and leaning in close enough that he can smell her shampoo as he looks at her computers.

"So what have you been up to, Blondie?"

He keeps his eyes fixed on the computers. He's so preoccupied that he doesn't realize for a moment that one of them is a security feed of the alley they had just been having their pow-wow in. He glances guiltily at the blonde, startled to see her face so close to his.

Felicity winks at him and leans in conspiratorially. "Don't worry. I won't tell him you were plotting." Before her words register, she leans further in and pecks a startled Roy on the cheek.

"ROY!" Oliver's Arrow voice echoes through the lair, bouncing off the concrete walls. The boy in question winces and pulls away from Felicity. "Let's spar," Oliver grinds out, glaring at his sidekick.

As Roy walks past, he mutters to Diggle, much to the older man's amusement, "This better be worth it."


	15. Mommy Issues Part II

Tumblr prompt: omg can you do a part 2 of "Mommy Issues" where Felicity opens up to Oliver about her moms bf

prompt: I would really like Felicity to tell him what happened. And then maybe have Oliver fly to Vegas to kill him.

_A/N: I couldn't really deny requests for a second part after what I wrote in the first part. I hope I managed to do this justice and that you like it. And thank you for the prompts! _

_I also want to send a huge thank you to everyone who wrote me a review because your words of encouragement keep me writing! You guys are the best!_

_As always, I do not own Arrow or the characters. Enjoy and send me feedback! _

**... **

**Mommy Issues Part II **

_Tonight was supposed to be her night off._ The thought runs through Felicity's head on repeat, like a hysterical mantra as she huddles under her favorite fleece blanket on her couch. The usual comfort offered by her plush couch, home of countless movie marathons and tv show binges, could do nothing to combat her shaking. _She was supposed to be Arrow-free for the first time in six months. Her first time having a night to herself in months and she gets herself into trouble. _

Oliver, still decked out in his Arrow costume, presses a steaming cup of hot chocolate into her hands, maintaining his grip as she shakes too badly to hold it steady. Her terror even in the safety of her apartment wrings Oliver's heart as he helps her lift the drink to her lips so she can take a tentative sip. She lets him take the cup back and he lowers himself back onto her coffee table, eyes not leaving her.

"Felicity, talk to me," Oliver pleads, his eyes desperately searching her face. He reaches out to cover her hand with his, like he did after the incident with the Count, but she flinches away so he pulls back. He watches her face shift as she realizes what she did and she pales.

"I-I'm sorry, Oliver. I didn't mean-" She reaches out and grabs his hand deliberately, squeezing her hand in his. He relaxes slightly because her shaking has lessened, but he's still worried. And he understands.

"It's okay, Felicity. I understand."

"No, it's not just about tonight..."

_She was walking down the street when they grabbed her and pulled her into the dark alley. Their hands had been rough, digging into her skin hard enough to bruise. They had immediately started pulling at her clothes. She couldn't concentrate on their words, but the lewd tone and roaming hands conveyed their intentions perfectly. _

_She remembers fighting back like Sara and Digg taught her. She wasn't helpless this time. She knew how to protect herself. But punching someone in theory and doing it in reality are two different things and as much as she tries to hold her own, she can't hold them off. There are five of them and one of her and the shortest one has three inches on her. _

_Her dress is torn open and she loses a shoe, but she keeps fighting, screaming when she can and biting fingers and hands when she can't. She doesn't even realize Oliver is there, until no one is constraining her and she sees him reaching out hesitantly, hood thrown back and mask abandoned as he approaches her like one would an injured animal. _

Felicity shudders, opening her eyes against the memories. She pulls the blanket closer to her, releasing Oliver's hand to do so. Her eyes meet his. His blue eyes brim with emotion and her heart warms at the sight, knowing she's loved and this won't be anything like the last time. The last time...

_Her door was locked. She always kept it locked at night so that when her mother brought men home, they couldn't bother her. Not that they tried. She was newly sixteen and just growing out of being an annoying squirt. It was her mother's drunken rages she was really protecting herself from. She can hear them outside her door in the kitchen down the hall of their tiny cottage. It's the only room between her and her mother's room, which is a blessing on nights like this. _

_Seven o'clock is really early for her to bring men home. If she had known, Felicity would have brought some food into her room. As it stands, it looks like she won't be eating dinner anytime soon. Her stomach growls at the thought: she hasn't eaten since yesterday. _

_So a couple hours later, when she hasn't heard any noise for a while, Felicity creeps from her room, making a bee line for the cabinet where she knows she can find a box of cereal to bring back to her room. She doesn't expect to see anyone so when she closes the door of the cabinet to find a man's face, she jumps, nearly dropping the cereal to spill all over the floor. _

_It's a familiar face so she relaxes. "You surprised me, Mr. Williams." Her mom has been bringing him around more since his daughter passed away two months ago. Delia had been Felicity's best friend so he was like a surrogate father to her, not like the other sleazy men her mother would bring home._

_"__You're growing up, Filly." The edge to his voice unsettled her and she takes a step towards her room, but he blocks her way and she suddenly feels so small. He grabs her around the shoulders, fingers digging in enough to create bruises. She fights as she loses her clothes and he pins her down. She screams and kicks, but nothing fazes him as he forces himself on her... _

"FELICITY!" Oliver barely holds himself back from grabbing her because he recognizes someone stuck in painful memories. She's shaking full-force again. She's drifting away from him. A strangled sob escapes him. "Felicity, I need you to tell me what to do. How can I help you?"

She reaches out a shaking hand and rests it on his cheek. In wonder, she wipes an escaped tear from his cheek, thumb rubbing his cheek as she attempts a smile. She wants to say she's fine, but they both know that would be a lie.

"Talk to me, Felicity," he whispers, hand cupping hers against his cheek.

She takes the hot chocolate from his hands and takes a sip to wet her throat. She slips her hand back into Oliver's for strength to tell him. She needs to tell someone because on top of this traumatic experience she's meeting her mother tomorrow. Her past is catching up with her all at once and she refuses to let it drown her.

"Thank you...for saving me, Oliver."

He squeezes her hand but doesn't respond. He waits as she takes a deep breath, slowly releasing her grip on the blanket so it slides down to reveal the extra-large t-shirt and pink, panda-cover pajama bottoms she changed into: her comfort clothes. She takes another bracing breath, staring at their joined hands.

"When...when I was sixteen, my mother was dating a man. I'd known him my whole life. He was my best friend's father before she killed herself." Even with evident pain in her voice, it gains strength as she talks, determined to say what she needs to. "He was there one night and...he raped me. My mother was in the other room, but she didn't do anything. I left that night." Her eyes meet Oliver's again, scared of seeing pity. "I put myself through MIT by waitressing and then moved here. But if you hadn't been there tonight, Oliver..."

She squeezes her eyes shut against the image, fighting back tears. The couch shifts next to her and she leans into his warmth as Oliver wraps his arms around her. She feels safe in his embrace, burying her head into his chest. He kisses the top of her head, one hand rubbing circles into her back.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there." Felicity knows she's crying again so she takes a deep breath and pulls away, wiping the wet marks down her face.

Oliver's jaw clenches. He doesn't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't shown up. The idea makes him want to head back out and hunt those sewer rats down. He's fighting the urge to go to Vegas and track down the man who raped her when she was sixteen. He knows that if he gives in to that impulse it would undo all the progress he's made. He would kill that man, and he knows that the girl in his arms is far more important than any of that. She's safe here with him.

He wants to promise that he'll always be there to protect her from guys like that, but they both know that would be an empty promise, one he couldn't always fulfill. She looks tiny sitting there in her large shirt and fluffy pants. She settles into him, one hand absently playing with the zipper of his jacket.

"Thank you."

He strokes her silky hair with one hand, staring at his bow where it lays on the floor, forgotten in his haste to make sure she would be alright. "I will always protect you, Felicity. I'm just glad..." He can't even finish the sentence. The alternative is too painful.

"Hey, I'm alright." Felicity forces Oliver to meet her eyes, framing his face with her hands. "I'm right here and I'm alright."

Oliver closes the distance and kisses her softly because she is okay and she's stronger than he ever realized. She's been through so much and yet goes around with a smile, lighting up his world. He's so unbelievably lucky to have her in his life.

Felicity's mouth opens slightly as he pulls away. He hadn't meant to kiss after her attempted rape, but she leans in as he pulls away and kisses him back, moving closer. Oliver's hands freeze, not sure what to do with them because he doesn't want her to freak out with rape flashbacks. He's relieved when Felicity pulls back and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Oliver, can you stay here tonight? I just can't stay here alone."

He's nodding before she even finishes the question. "Of course."

She sighs against him and he pulls her closer, letting her anchor him. They sit in comfortable silence until they fall asleep holding each other.


	16. Strikhedonia

_A/N: This takes place after the end of season 2 but before season 3. Oliver thinks Thea is safe in another city. He doesn't know she went with Malcolm (which I don't think he knows in the show. I think he still thinks Malcolm is dead). I also disregarded the date spoiler because reasons. _

_I do not own Arrow or the characters. _

_And finally, a thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! Your words inspire me. I am working on a couple more prompts. I was going to work on a different one tonight involving Tommy, but I was pretty sure if I wrote it, I would start crying so I went with this one. _

_As always, I encourage feedback and I hope you like it! _

* * *

**Strikhedonia** - The pleasure of being able to say "to hell with it".

Getting the new lair into working order was taking longer than they had thought it would. Of course, Felicity reflected, that had a lot to do with their recent lack of funding. With her precious computers pretty much destroyed, she had been forced to start from the beginning again. It was almost a blessing because she got the chance to fix all her annoying little bugs, but then there were moments like right now when she was laying on the floor with a flashlight between her teeth as she connects various wires so her systems will all work flawlessly together.

With the last wires finally clipped together, Felicity spits the flashlight out and shimmies out from under her desk. She pulls herself onto her feet, attempting to brush all the dirt and dust off but ultimately failing miserably. She can see brown dirt marring her gray MIT shirt and she scowls, thankful she had enough foresight to wear old clothes and not one of her EA dresses. Her ratty old jeans were already full of holes and splotches of paint, so the dirt really just blended in.

Felicity plops into her seat and starts putting her precious machines through their programming to check for any bugs that may have resulted from the latest update. She ignores the boys behind her working out. She can hear the smacks and thuds of physical violence, along with the accompanying grunts and shouts, but she's starting to get frustrated that her computers are still not working as well as her previous system. She really wants to get her hands on the ones ARGUS had...

...

Oliver catches a glimpse of Felicity at her computer from the mat where he faces off Diggle and Roy. His momentary distraction allows Roy to get in a punch. Unfortunately for the teenager, his shock at a successful hit allows Oliver to deliver one in return. Oliver, for his part, struggles to pull his mind away from his IT girl. Ever since his accidental 'I love you,' he's been having trouble keeping focus around her.

He ducks a swing from Diggle and lets his natural instincts take over, moving into fight mode. Even together, Roy and Diggle don't stand much of a chance. They call it an early night when Digg gets a call from Lyla and rushes off to get something she's craving from the store. Roy leaves shortly afterwards without a word of explanation. Oliver knows he's still missing Thea. He misses her too, but he has faith that she's happy and safe now.

He walks over to join Felicity, but unlike him, she hasn't had any trouble focusing. She's completely absorbed in her monitors so Oliver takes the chance to drink in her appearance. Her brows are scrunched as she works, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. Her legs are folded under her. He's blindsided by how much he wants to see her like this all the time: relaxed, comfortable. He wants to spin her away from her computers and kiss her until she forgets her name. He wants to pull her flush against him and not let her go. He wants to do unspeakable things to her here in their new lair that is finally starting to feel like home.

Before he has the chance to act on his desire, she turns and looks up at him, annoyance and frustration written all over her face.

...

She's pissed and Oliver's charming lopsided smile is not helping. Felicity sighs, pushing her annoyance away with the air. It's not his fault her computers are subpar. Well, if he hadn't lost the company they would have the money to replace them, but she couldn't place the blame on his shoulders. That wasn't fair.

"Where'd Digg and Roy go?" She turns and scans the lair, looking for their familiar figures. They had been sparring last she remembered.

"They went home. You said bye." Oliver raises an eyebrow.

"Right." Felicity turns back to him with a weak smile. "Sorry. It's just...these computers are all wrong! I updated the software, so they should be running better than the old setup, but they're not. And I can't figure out why! And then there's the fact that we should have better...well, better everything. Not that we can afford it anymore, but it would be nice. And I keep thinking about those damn ARGUS computers. Just imagine what I could do with one of those." Felicity stares into space as she imagines the possibilities.

Oliver smiles at her rambling. He has no idea what makes the computers different, but he's happy she's still acting like Felicity. It puts the good kind of butterflies in his stomach, not that he'd admit that to anyone.

She does her adorable head-tilt and he nearly loses it again. "What? Do I have something on my face?" Felicity rubs at her face to get off some perceived dirt.

Oliver presses his lips together to stop from smiling as she actually smears dirt over her cheek.

"Seriously, Oliver! Is my hair sticking up? What is it?" She leans over, trying to catch her reflection in one of the black screens. She finally gets a look at the streaks on her face and her hair sticking out of its messy bun in 101 directions. She sighs and purses her lips at her reflection. "Well, I guess that answers that question: I'm a mess."

"You're not a mess, Felicity."

She rounds on him, hands on her hips, dirt on her face, hair in a crazy halo in her ripped jeans and ratty t-shirt. "Uh-huh. Dressed like this, I bet I look sexy as hell."

Her tone drips sarcasm, but the thought hits Oliver like a punch in the gut. _Fuck it_, he thinks roughly, stepping forward and crashing his lips against Felicity's, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him.

Felicity whimpers in surprise, but a second later, she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back. They kiss with reckless abandon, both committing to their actions. They know there's no turning back now. Saying 'to hell with it' never felt so good.


	17. I'd Follow You Anywhere (But There)

**Prompt from Lindsey8907:** Achluophobia (fear of darkness) and claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces) combined because of an incident in her childhood where Felicity was kidnapped by her druggie mother's boyfriend and buried alive. Oliver finds out while he and Felicity are on a mission-gone-wrong where they have to go into a dark and enclosed space in order to escape.

_A/N: I tried to make this more lighthearted than the other drabble of Felicity's past that I tried. I hope you like it. As always, I do not Arrow or these characters and I appreciate all feedback!_

* * *

"I can't go in there."

"Felicity, we need to go." Oliver gestures at the garbage dump again, not particularly excited about jumping into the smell chute, but it's the only way to get out of the building without going past the guards coming their way.

"No. Nope. I can't, Oliver." She's wringing her hands together, the nerves exciting her gesticulation. Her back presses against the opposite wall. "Why don't we just make-out or something? That always works in the movies."

Oliver sighs, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, right. You're still..." she waves at his costume. Then another thought occurs to her. "So then only you have to get out of here. I can stay. I'll make up some story. I'll be fine."

"Fe-li-ci-ty."

"Oliver..."

"Guys, we don't have time for this! They're right around the corner. You need to do something now!" Digg's voice shouts through the comm links.

Oliver springs into action, grabbing Felicity's arm even as she pulls back. Through her sleeve, he can feel her shaking, but Oliver knows they need to move now. "I'm sorry, Felicity, but we have to do this."

"NO-" Her words are cut off as Oliver wraps his arms around her and throws himself down the chute. Felicity's nails dig into his arms through his leather costume. He wraps his one arm tighter around her waist, pulling her closer. His other hand drops his bow and attempts some sort of control over their decent. All the while, Felicity mutters under her breath.

"Why did I even want to come? Serves me right. I just keep sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. Next time some good-looking guy comes into my office with some obvious lie, I just need to walk away." Her eyes are clenched shut, face pressed into Oliver's shoulder as she continues to shake, helpless to stop her reaction. She starts taking deep, measured breaths. "It's okay. It's really not that dark or that enclosed. It'll all be over soon. Soon. Deep breaths, Felicity. Just keep taking deep breaths."

Oliver wraps his arms more securely around Felicity as he stops the end of the tunnel. The dumpster is mercifully full of garbage bags. It might smell but at least they're not covered in rotten food. Felicity is too shaken to notice so Oliver lifts her in a fireman's hold and vaults out of the dumpster.

"Digg, I think you better meet us at the end of the alley." Felicity is still muttering in his arms, unaware of her surroundings.

"It's not real. It's over. You don't have to go back. You're not underground. It's just a trash chute. It's not a coffin. You're not back there. You're safe. Safe!"

"I've got you, Felicity."

"It's not going to be easy, Oliver. There's traffic." Digg's agitated voice cuts through the comms.

Oliver wanders over to his bike and sets Felicity down, slowly stepping back as she shakes, still continuing her endless battle. He cups her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes as she hyperventilates. Her hands grip his wrists in her vice-like grip, but her eyes are meeting his even if they're unfocused and she's stopped muttering.

"I'm sorry, Felicity. I had to do it."

She nods, but she continues to remain unable to talk due to her labored breaths.

"Breathe, Felicity. In. Out. In. Out." Oliver circles his thumbs over her cheeks, but it does nothing to help ease her breathing. He glances around for a paper bag, something for her to breathe into, but comes up empty so he does the only thing he can think of: he kisses her.

She freezes for a moment, but then her grip relaxes and she kisses him back. They both sink into the kiss, forgetting that its only purpose was to regulate Felicity's breathing. When Digg's pointed cough over the comms gets them to separate, one of Oliver's hands has moved to Felicity's hip and hers are running over his chest.

Guiltily they separate, Oliver stepping away from the bike, reluctantly releasing his girl.

"I don't think we need the car, Digg." Oliver steps back, retrieving his bow from the dumpster. "We'll meet back at the lair." He pretends not to hear Diggle's mumbled complaints.

...

Back in the lair with a mug of steaming hot chocolate in her hands and a blanket wrapped around her dainty shoulders, Felicity stares at the brown liquid, lost in her thoughts. Oliver and Digg exchange glances as he emerges from the bathroom to find Felicity right where he left her when he went to shower and change. With a nod, Diggle departs, glancing back one last time.

Running a hand over his head, Oliver approaches Felicity and he glances up at him, with a small smile. He grabs an extra chair and sits down to face her, taking one of her hands in his. "Felicity, what happened back there?"

She withdraws a little, shrinking into her seat, but Oliver follows her, not letting her escape. She swallows and glances down at their joined hands.

"Felicity, you said something about being underground and another mention of a coffin. Talk to me, Felicity."

Watery blue eyes meet his. "I don't talk about my past, Oliver, because it's not all nice." He squeezes her hand encouragingly and she continues on a shaky breath. "I was buried alive by an jealous ex-boyfriend of my mother's. They found me, obviously but I spent hours in a cramped little box under several feet of dirt. I don't like dark or cramped places. I can't even sleep in my own apartment without a nightlight."

Oliver squeezes her hand and pulls her closer. With a sob, she throws herself into his arms, hugging him back as he wraps his arms around her. He makes comforting noises as her sobbing starts again. He carefully shifts himself and places her sloshing cup of hot chocolate on the desk. He rubs her back as she clings to him, allowing her this moment.

Once she's finally calmed down, Felicity pushes Oliver away, standing on her own as she wipes away her tears. She stands, sniffling and removes her blanket to place it on her chair. She reaches a hand back to Oliver with a smile. He takes it as he stands.

"Let's go home." He thinks it's her best idea yet.


	18. My Crazy Family

**Prompt from Lindsey8907: **Felicity has Athazagoraphobia (fear of being forgotten or ignored) because she was abandoned by her father and neglected by her mother. She has a debilitating fear of being forgotten or ignored by her new chosen family, Oliver, Digg, and Roy.

_A/N: I just wanted to write a little bit of fluff, so I hope you enjoy this. Lindsey8907, in regards to a drabble about Tommy, there's a couple coming (one that might make you cry and the other an AU). I just need to find a time to write them where I won't start crying (because i tend to get emotional when i write). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!_

...

**My Crazy Family**

She feels best when they're in the lair with her, all her boys: Oliver, Diggle, and Roy. Felicity loves how their family has grown and shifted. She had trouble trusting Sara at first, but then they had bonded and she turned into the sister Felicity never had. They went shopping together and talked about boys, although not Oliver because wouldn't that be awkward.

She knows they don't view their group the same way she does. They sense the bond. How could they not? They spend more time together than any group ever should. But Felicity knows they have their own families outside of Team Arrow. Roy's the only one as isolated from people as she is and he's a stubborn teenager who won't admit to needing anyone.

Oliver disappearing for months after the Undertaking had nearly destroyed her. Diggle was the one who anchored her then, along with the promise of their new family reuniting. It took a little bit out of her each time she didn't respond while they were out on a mission. Some days it was only fear of what they would do to her precious computers that brought her back. And then she was forced to admit she loved them all like the family she never had.

"What are you thinking about, Blondie?" Roy leans in front of her face, waving her hand in front of her eyes.

"Oh, you know, stuff." She smiles up at her surrogate little brother. He shakes his head, glancing skeptically at the computer screens in front of her.

"You're a weird one, Blondie."

"Roy! Enough talk. We need to practice your bow-work." Oliver crosses his arms from across the lair, lips pursed in a faint scowl.

"Aw, come on! I just spend three hours sparring with Digg!"

"And did that improve your aim?"

Felicity smiles as Oliver and Roy bicker. It feels like home, or rather how she imagines a real home would feel. They argue and fight, probably with more physicality than any real family, but it never lasts because they're all looking out for each other.

She smiles up at Digg and he grins back, more complaining and commands in the background. Digg shakes his head and drops into the extra chair.

"They're going to be the death of me." He glances back at the thunk of arrows in the target at the far end of the narrow room. He sighs and relaxes back into the chair, rubbing a bruised spot on his left arm. "Roy's getting too good at sparring me. He's going to have to start working with Oliver soon."

"Great. Because that's a fantastic idea." Felicity grimaces at the prospect of Oliver taking it up on himself to beat the crap out of Roy. This time without the MIrakuru to protect him, Roy might actually get hurt.

"It's bound to happen sometime."

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Roy demands .

"Your training," Digg responds over his shoulder.

"Seriously? Because I think I'm training enough. Thank you very much."

"Not enough. You're still not hitting the center of the target. The _stationary_ target."

"Not everyone has had as much practice as you."

"You can go a little easier on him, Oliver. He's doing better than I would ever do." Diggle spins his chair to face the duo.

"You're a trained sniper, Digg."

"And he's been trying this for six months. Every hit is in the yellow ring, if not the red center. How long did it take you to get that good?"

"So you're taking his side?"

Felicity smirks at her monitors as their banter continues. It's just another night in the lair with her chosen family and she wouldn't trade them for anything.


	19. A Talk with a Friend

_A/N: Sorry about the formatting issue, so let's try this again (and thank you for quick responses to let me know about the error 3) This is just a little drabble about everyone's favorite friend: Tommy Merlyn. Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or any characters. Warning: Prepare for the feels. _

* * *

**A Talk with a Friend**

"Dude, you've got it bad."

Oliver's head jerks up and he glances to the side to find Tommy sitting on the park bench next to him. He glances around the sunny backyard of Queen Mansion. He didn't hear his best friend approach.

"What are you talking about Tommy?"

His friend laughs and pats him on the back. "You have that stupid, lovestruck look I know I always wore around Laurel. Come to think of it, _you_ used to look at Laurel that same way. But it's not her this time."

Oliver sighs, leaning back into the wooden bench, feeling the slats against his back, running a hand through his hair. "No. It's not, but it doesn't matter because nothing can happen."

"Why not? You love her, she loves you. I'm not seeing the problem here buddy."

"It's not that simple, Tommy. Because of what I do-"

"Don't give me that bullcrap! This is just your commitment issues speaking." Tommy claps him on the back with a shit-eating smile. "What's new is that you actually want something serious with this girl."

"Tommy..."

"No. You're too thick headed to make a move because of your perceived threats to her life. Here's the problem, Oliver: She's willing to risk it. She's in danger every day, yet for some reason she stays. I'm your best friend and even I couldn't sit down there every night and help you do what you do. The two of you are something special."

"Tommy-"

"No." He doesn't raise his voice, just holds out a hand to stop his friend. "Oliver, here's what you're going to do. You're going to tell her that the 'I love you' wasn't a ruse. Then, you're going to ask her on a date, take her out to a nice dinner, and then kiss her when you say goodnight, like a proper gentleman. You're going to do this right."

"I don't-"

"Oliver Jonas Queen, you are going to do this. I called you a murderer, but she has turned you into something greater: a hero, a symbol. She did something Laurel and I couldn't do. And I think you know that. Stop being an idiot."

"How-"

"Oliver, stop making excuses and just do it. That's what you do best. Just act, don't think."

Oliver laughs, shaking his head. "I'm just..." He flounders for the right word.

"Nervous?" Tommy chuckles at his best friend's startled expression. "Let me guess, there are butterflies assaulting your stomach and you can't think straight. You're torn between wanting to thoroughly kiss her and wanting to run away from the intensity of your feelings. You can't form coherent sentences around her. You'd give anything to see her smile and scare away her fears. You can't stop smiling when she looks at you. You can't keep your eyes off her when you're in the same room."

Oliver's smile softens as he thinks back to his girl and her life-brightening smile, her adorable rambling, and her love of colors.

"Face it, Ollie: You're in love." Tommy claps his buddy on the back again, a sad smile on his face that Oliver is oblivious to. "So as soon as you wake up, ask her out. Don't waste another second."

Oliver nods, confident smile back in place. Then he actually listens to the words. "Wake up? What do you-"

"OLIVER! DON'T YOU DIE ON ME!" Felicity's voice pierces the dream, echoing around the scene as it wavers, like a bad TV connection.

Oliver turns back to Tommy, finally noticing the sorrow in his eyes. With startling clarity he remembers finding his friend dying in the collapsed CNRI building. His eyes start to tear up. "Tommy-"

"It was good talking to you, buddy. Take good care of your girl."

Taking a shocked breath, Oliver sits straight up. The pristine mansion lawns have been replaced with the cold, dark city. He's soaking wet with Felicity and Digg leaning over him, both of them obviously breathing easier than a few seconds before. Felicity throws herself into his arms and he wraps her in a hug, the image of his best friend still lingering in his eyes.

"Thank God! I thought we had lost you for a second there."

"Me too," Oliver whispers into her hair.

She pulls back and pokes him angrily in the chest. "Don't you ever scare me like that ever again."

He nods somberly and lets them help him up, forcing himself to walk normally without their help. Digg walks ahead to get the car, but Tommy's words echo in Oliver's head and he grabs Felicity's arm to pull her back. Her eyes are full of love and worry as they meet his and it takes his breath away. The butterflies return full force and he has to swallow past his sore throat to speak.

"Felicity, would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night, well I guess it's technically tonight, but dinner...with me?"

He waits with baited breath as she contemplates him before she beams and he can't help but smile back. "You mean, like a date?

"Yes...a date." The word doesn't sound real to Oliver, like this is more a dream especially when she nods in consent and the whole world seems a bit brighter. He's walking on clouds for the rest of the night.

Tommy stands beside his best friend and pats him on the back. He knows Oliver can't feel it, but he's happy for his friend. The stupid lunk just needed some sense smacked into him and Tommy's glad he was the one who got to do it. It looks like his work here is done. "Just don't mess it up, Oliver."


	20. A New Life

_A/N: Another drabble featuring Tommy Merlyn, but this one isn't sad. It's cannon divergence from 1x22. I really hope you like it. Please send me feedback as it keeps me encouraged in my writing. I do not own Arrow or any characters. Lastly, I am accepting prompts! Enjoy the story! _

* * *

**A New Life**

Tommy wasn't sure how he got to Verdant. If you asked him, he wouldn't be able to tell you. He could remember seeing Laurel and Oliver through the window of her apartment. It hit him like a ton of bricks pushed by a speeding eighteen wheeler. He couldn't be happy for his friend because he felt he had seen it coming since he found out the green-leather-clad secret. Laurel was never going to choose him over Oliver the Hero.

The bartender doesn't bother him as he walks behind the bar and grabs a bottle of whiskey. They're all the people he hired so they recognize his face and that's enough for them. He contemplates venturing out onto the club floor, but he doesn't feel like flirting to bring a girl home for a one-night stand. Laurel ruined him for that.

Instead he ventures back to the basement door and punches in the code. Maybe messing with Oliver's equipment will make him feel better. He doesn't expect to find the lights on because Oliver obviously isn't there. His broken heart is painfully aware of Oliver's exact location.

"Dig? Oliver? I didn't expect you back."

Tommy blinks at the blonde girl, staring at him with her mouth open in an 'O' as she realizes he's not who she thought. She closes her mouth and smiles hesitantly. She stands from her computer chair. "Hi."

"You're her, the IT girl." Tommy squints at her. He can't see what makes her so special that Oliver brought her into this crazy mission.

"Felicity," she supplies, hands clasped together. "And you're Tommy, the best friend."

He nods, watching as she glances around. She shifts nervously, anxiously. Tommy holds out the bottle of whiskey. "Want some?" She bites her lip and shakes her head. "Oh, well, your loss. It's good stuff."

"I prefer wine." Felicity lowers herself back into her chair, perked on the edge instead of relaxing into it.

"Ah, wine. Make Oliver get you the good stuff. He owes you."

Her face lights up with a genuine smile, finally relaxing. "That's what I keep thinking, but its hard to pin him down."

"Tell me about it." Tommy sits in one of the extra chairs. He stares at the amber liquid in the bottle. He's had a handful of sips, but the rest of the liquid now looks disgusting to him. He doesn't want to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He finds himself wanting to confide in this girl he barely knows. "I actually came down here to break a couple of his arrows."

"What did he do this time?"

Tommy laughs. He likes how she's not surprised at all. "He's over there now. At Laurel's. I don't understand! He told me earlier today that I should get back together with her and then he's there _screwing_ her. It's always the same thing: Oliver and Laurel, Laurel and Oliver."

"Gorgeous Laurel..." Felicity mutters, sighing. She reaches out and takes the whiskey from Tommy, taking her own swig.

"She loves him in a way she never loved me." Tommy doesn't try to take the bottle back. Felicity laughs at him, shaking her head.

"They don't even really know each other anymore. I mean, I get it. They've got that high-school sweethearts thing, but I don't understand how they make sense now." She glances at Tommy. "I guess I didn't know them before so it might make sense, but I thought you and Laurel looked good together. And no offense, but I don't get what's so special about her, except that she's got two good-looking millionaires pining after her."

"She's just...Laurel." Tommy smiles as he thinks about her smile and how she lights up a room.

"They're not really in love with each other, you know," Felicity tells him conversationally. She likes the dreamy look in Tommy's eyes as he thinks about Laurel. She wishes someone would look at her like that, like they brought the light into the world. "He's in love with an ideal version of her he created while stuck on the island. And she's in love with her own perception of him, someone broken that she can fix."

"You're something else, Felicity." Tommy stares at the girl, smiling. "But you're right. That's something I'm just starting to figure out. But I can't keep doing this." He runs a hand through his dark hair. "I can't keep going back to her. They keep colliding with each other, and I don't want to be collateral. I can't stick around watching it happen over and over again."

"So don't." Felicity shrugs, swaying in her chair. The whiskey bottle sits untouched on the metal table between them, still more than half full. To her the solution is simple. "No one is making you stay, Tommy. You can hop on the next train and go anywhere. Get some space, clear your head. Who knows, you might start your own life somewhere else. That's what I did."

"You did?" Tommy stares at this girl who he was ready to dismiss hours ago. He's having the first heart to heart he's ever had with someone. He doesn't think he ever had such an honest conversation with Laurel or Oliver.

She sighs, leaning back and surveying him. Finally she sighs, giving in to her internal debate. "I grew up in Vegas with my mom. My dad left when I was seven. By the time I turned sixteen, I'd had enough so I worked my ass off to get my grades up and get into MIT. I haven't looked back since. I built my own life here. I still talk to a couple of old friends, but I'm happy with my life now."

"You work for a murderer," Tommy points out skeptically.

She sighs. "He also saves lives. I signed on to help Walter. He knows I'll leave as soon as he starts killing again." She glances around the basement. "There's just so much good that could be done and he's finally starting to see that."

"You're good for him." Her eyes widen at Tommy's words and he smiles at her, but the smile slips as his mind keeps going back to the thought of leaving. "But you're right. I need to get some space from this city." With newfound determination, he lifts his eyes to hers. "I think I'll go to New York. Merlyn Global has a branch there that Dad said needed some help. Even if it doesn't, I've always liked New York. Thank you, Felicity."

She smiles back at Tommy. "I'm happy to help."

He holds out his hand. "Give me your phone." He bites back a smirk as she reluctantly hands it over, relaxing only when she sees he's just imputing his phone number. He texts himself and hands the phone back to her. "It was great talking to you, Felicity...and I just realized I don't even know your last name."

"Smoak. Felicity Smoak, computer genius extraordinaire."

"Then, until we meet again, Felicity Smoak. I'll keep in touch." He points to the phone and walks away, leaving behind the wise IT girl, the bottle of whiskey, and all the complications of his life in Starling City. He leaves the city that night without a single regret. It's long past time for him to start a new life.


	21. A New Life: Happy Endings

_A/N: Pure fluff. I hope you like it!_

* * *

**A New Life Part II **

"TOMMY!"

He laughs as a petite blonde assaults him with a bear hug, knocking his bag out of his hands as he wraps his arms around her to stop them both from falling over. Over her head, he locks eyes with Oliver Queen who nods.

"It's good to see you too, Felicity."

She pulls back and smacks him on the arm. "You never told me you were flying in today."

"But you still found out." Tommy glances knowingly at Oliver as he joins them.

"What can I say? She demanded to know why I had to go to the airport."

Tommy rolls his eyes as Oliver leans down to plant a kiss on his girlfriend's lips. His best friend was never able to lie to Felicity or keep anything from her. Oliver had made a huge deal about bringing Tommy back to Starling and not letting Felicity know, but he's the one who broke down and told her. She probably hadn't even been forced to use her loud voice.

"So what brings you back? I mean, I'm happy to see you, but I thought things were going great in New York. Wait! Did you bring Melody with you!" She peers around him in an effort to find his girlfriend and Tommy chuckles.

"No, Melody's still in New York. Actually..." He glances awkwardly at his two friends. They're so ridiculously in love there are literally hearts in their eyes when they look at each other. They're always in physical contact and they are drawn together like magnets. It had always been like that between them, but it increased exponentially when they finally stopped denying their affections. "Melody and I broke up. We decided we were better off as friends. She's now dating a lawyer from some big firm."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tommy."

"No, it's okay. I'm actually doing really well." He starts walking, bringing out his signature smile as he glances sideways at the lovebirds. "I'm looking forward to a couple days with my best friends and my little sister. Where is Thea anyway?"

"She's at Verdant. Apparently there's been some sort of issue with one of her suppliers and Roy can't handle yelling at them." Felicity's phone goes off and she glances down. "Oh, shoot! I forgot. I have a meeting with Kord Industries in an hour. I have to go. We should all go out somewhere for dinner though. I'm so happy you're visiting, Tommy." She lifts on her toes, giving him a peck on the cheek before turning to Oliver and placing a kiss on his lips. She pokes him in the chest. "No working tonight, Mister."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Have Diggle take you to your meeting." She nods and Oliver stares after her until she disappears. He turns back to Tommy with a sigh only to encounter his friend's smirk.

"I was going to ask if you were sure about this, but I think my question has been answered. So where's Thea really?"

Oliver leads the way to his car. Tommy watches as his hands fiddle with an imaginary arrow, the only outward sign of his anxiety. "She really is at the club. We need to pick her up there."

"Good." Tommy nods as he slides into the passenger seat. "We're going to need her help."

Oliver nods with a slight smile. "She'd kill me if I didn't let her help pick out the ring."

...

"What about-"

"No!"

"You didn't even look, Thea!"

"If it was the right one, you wouldn't need to ask."

Tommy snorts at his sister, but turns back to the selection of engagement rings in front of them. Oliver still hasn't really said anything as he prowls through the selection. He's still fiddling with his imaginary arrow. The attendant is fluttering around, flustered by the presence of the Queens in her store. Tommy feels at a loss with all these rings. He understands Thea's point, but none of these pieces of metal seem to fit his lively friend.

Thea's annoyed huff tells Tommy he's not the only one getting frustrated by their selection. This was their third store. Thea had taken one look at the first one and left, him and Oliver following behind like obedient dogs. The second one had been more promising, but they had left empty handed. When Oliver had asked him to come back for this, he had somehow pictured it being easier. Finally, Oliver's voice reaches them, soft yet confident.

"I found it."

...

"Really, Thea? It's just dinner with friends. It's going to be Oliver, you, Roy, and Tommy. I don't need to dress up." Felicity stares at the Kelly green dress Thea made her put on. She has to admit that it flatters her figure, hugging her curves and the beaded design is to die for, but its too much.

Thea shakes her head and smiles. "I saw this today and it's prefect for you! You have to wear it. It'll drive Oliver crazy!"

With a sigh, Felicity turns back to her reflection. "I do look good."

"Damn right!" Thea nods in approval, stepping back to appreciate her future sister-in-law. She has no doubt Felicity will say yes. "And actually, Roy and I set Tommy up on a blind date and he made us promise to make it a double date so we're not going to be there..."

"Thea!" Felicity rounds on the younger girl, immediately suspecting something.

"I'm sorry, but we had to! He's only here for a few days and well...it's with Laurel. We thought it would be great to set up their date for tonight so he didn't feel like the fifth wheel at dinner, but then he made us promise to go with him, but don't worry, we'll spend the whole day catching up tomorrow." Thea smiles guiltily.

"Really? Him and Laurel? Are you sure they're going to be okay with this?" Felicity frowns. "And why couldn't she just join the rest of us?"

"She, kinda, made me promise I wouldn't tell Oliver because she doesn't want him to feel sorry for her. Actually, she didn't want me to tell you either, so you can't tell her I said anything."

Felicity sighs. "Fine, but we all have to hang out together tomorrow. Got it?"

Thea nods with a brilliant smile. "Got it."

...

"I'M SO EXCITED!" Thea trills, gripping Roy's arm in excitement.

Tommy and Laurel exchange a glance and roll their eyes, the first non-awkward exchange they've had. Sara just laughs and nudges Digg who allows a smile.

"Thea, calm down," Laurel advises, turning up the volume on the television in the Queen mansion.

Tommy rolls his eyes as they watch Oliver and Felicity laughing and flirting their way through dinner. Oliver is getting more agitated the closer they get to dessert and Felicity is obviously catching on. She keeps throwing him curious looks, but she doesn't bring it up.

"What is taking him so long?" Thea demands. "Who eats this slowly?"

"You think this is bad, you weren't around them all the time before they finally admitted they had feelings for each other." Sara and Roy nod in agreement to Digg's statement.

"Shh! Guys, its happening!"

...

After the fifth time he glances around nervously, Felicity leans forward and places her hand over Oliver's. "Okay, what's going on? You keep looking around. Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. Everything's great."

Felicity tilts her head in disbelief at the lie and Oliver forgets to breathe because this is it. This is the perfect moment, just like that moment five years ago when he first walked into her office and told her that ridiculous coffee shop lie. So he moves with purpose until he's kneeling in front of her, pulling the box from his pocket.

Felicity's mouth falls open as he flips the box open to the perfect little ring.

"Felicity Smoak, will you marry me?"

She nods, blinking back tears as he slides the ring over her finger. Around them diners cheer as they kiss and miles away in the Queen mansion a much more rowdy celebration ensues, complete with champagne and noise makers before Thea turns off the TV and rushes them to the foyer, where she puts them to work hanging streamers and balloons.

...

Felicity covers a squeak when she enters the mansion and everyone screams "CONGRATULATIONS!"

She shakes her head as she pulls Thea in for a hug. "Thank you," she whispers to the younger girl as she gives her an extra squeeze.

"Don't thank me. Ollie picked out the ring himself." Thea smirks as Oliver pulls Felicity to his side, twining their fingers together.

"Speaking of, show us the ring!" Sara cheers, dragging the happy couple further into the room.

Tommy smiles at the girls fawning over the ring. He thinks back to the diamond ring sitting in the safe back in his New York apartment. It belonged to his mother and five years ago there was a girl he thought he might give it to, but that was a lifetime ago. He glances at Laurel as she joins him, handing him a glass of champagne.

"To the lovebirds," Tommy toasts quietly, gesturing at the future Mr and Mrs Queen. Laurel joins him and sighs.

"They really are happy, aren't they?"

He doesn't miss the longing in her voice, so Tommy decides to take the plunge again and asks out the girl he still hasn't managed to get out of his head for the past five years.

...

Six months later

Everyone agreed that it was the perfect wedding. The bride was an unparalleled beauty and the groom was hopelessly in love. It had been a quiet affair, much to the disappointment of the gossip magazines, but pictures of the happy couple in their first dance still found their way onto the internet where lovesick girls sighed in envy. Alongside pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Queen, were pictures of a beaming Tommy Merlyn and his new fiancé, Laurel Lance, clearly just as in love as the married couple.

The end.


	22. Those that Came Before

_A/N: I got a prompt on Tumblr from likeabird-onthewire: "_While on the island to jail Slade, Felicity ask Oliver to show her Shado's grave". _As much as I tried, I couldn't write Felicity asking Oliver to show her the grave, but I did get this beautiful (or at least I think its beautiful) idea. I hope you like it. Warning: This isn't necessary happy. I definitely had some very strong feelings while writing. _

_Let me know what you think!_

* * *

She hadn't intended to end up here. Honestly, Felicity had just picked a direction and started walking along the shoreline. Something was wrong with the plane and while tech was her thing, she knew nothing about airplanes. She had taken one look and then walked away with her hands up, telling the boys she was going to find the little girls' room.

The piles of stones that mark the graves are obviously man-made. She doesn't need to be told what they are because the cross sticking up from one identifies them solidly. Here in front of her are three people who irrevocably shaped the Oliver she's fallen in love with. They're three people she's never met, but she still feels like she owes everything important in her life to them. So she does what she normally does: she talks.

"Hi. I know I never met you, or knew you or anything, and you actually can't hear me, but I've heard about all of you. Oliver doesn't talk about it much, but from what little he's said, I know you were all good people. And you helped shape him into the man he is today." She pauses, thinking about everything they've accomplished in the last year and a half since she joined his mission.

"He's a good man. He's a hero thanks to you. He puts the wellbeing of others above his own safety." Her voice catches as she remembers the scene in the mansion. The feelings she's been holding back come bubbling out in a hysterical laugh. "He told me earlier that he loved me so we could get Slade with the Mirakuru cure, because it made him kind of crazy. I know he did it to get the upper hand and I wanted him to mean it, because who wouldn't want to be loved by that man? But he did something more amazing: he trusted me with taking down Slade. By handing me the cure, he relinquished control to me. I didn't think he could do that."

She swipes the solitary tear that escaped and laughs at the piles of rock. "I know he loved all of you, but I promise you he's in good hands now. I'll take care of him." She smiles softly at the graves before backing away with a small bow and heading back to the plane. She runs into Oliver a couple yards down the coastline and he stares past her in the direction of the graves, lost in his own thoughts, sorrow filling his eyes.

Felicity reaches out and squeezes his hand to bring him back to the present. She offers him a small smile. At her contact he turns from the graves back towards the plane.

"We got it running. Let's go home."

They fall into step, neither speaking. Movement catches Felicity's eye and she spins in the direction only to find trees. She could have sworn she saw a hooded figure ducking between the trees. She frowns as she sees nothing but leaves moving in the breeze. Oliver touches her hand and she follows again, but on the breeze she hears a haunting female voice:

"Take care of him."

"I will," she promises the voice in a whisper.


	23. How He Figures it Out

_I was bored in class, so I wrote a thing...I hope you like it!_

**How He Figures it Out**

It doesn't happen slowly. It hits him like a ton of bricks pushed by a speeding eighteen wheeler off a cliff. Looking back, he was sure it had been happening gradually and if he had been thinking about it, he would have realized it far sooner. How could he have not? She had a smile that dimmed the sun, inner strength that was unbreakable, and compassion that never tired. He doesn't know how long it's been since the mere thought of her brought a smile to his face, since a kind word from her turned a bad day good.

And, as per usual, it hit him at the worst possible moment. It was supposed to be a clever plan. AS much as he hated to put her in danger, it was unthinkable really, but he knew her strength. She stood by her ethics and she never let her fear break her, even when her life is on the line, even when the Count threatened her life. She keeps going, no matter what. He'd had to learn that determination in his five years away, but it didn't hold a candle to the flame inside her.

It hits him as he stares down at her in the foyer of his childhood home. It happens on a live camera feed direct to his greatest foe. He's handing her over on a silver platter as he realizes he loves her with all his heart, more than he ever thought possible. The word love seems inadequate. It's too simplified for the feelings welling inside him. He drowns in her blue eyes for a moment as his emotions swell until the words slip out through all his hard-earned control.

"I love you."

The whisper shifts his world as the truth strikes home. He can see it in her eyes: she knows him, she _knows_. He can't lie to her, not now that he knows its true. But he needs to get himself under control, to complete his mission. She's the only one who can do this, the only one he trusts to do this. Hating himself, he presses the syringe into her hand, grounding himself in the touch, taking comfort in the simple pressure.

"Do you understand?"

His heart breaks as she nods, taking the vial from his hand and slipping it into her jacket pocket. His control wavers as he stares at her, wanting her touch, to pull her in for a kiss and whisk her out of here to safety. He wants her safe...but she would never forgive him if he abandoned his city, and he won't kiss her now. He'll kiss her when this is over, when she knows he means it, when he won't have to stop and he can revel in _her._

He almost breaks as he turns from her and forces himself to walk out the door. Each step is like another stab in her heart. He can't help thinking about how horribly wrong this could go. He wants to turn around and pull her back in for a kiss, just to reassure himself but that would be selfish. So he climbs on his bike and rides away. It tears him in two, but he promises himself that when this is over, he'll tell her, for real. It's that thought that gets him through the following hours until he can touch her again and reassure himself that everything is fine. _Everything is fine._


	24. In Her Memories

_I'm apologizing for this in advance...So I got a horrible idea that stuck in my mind and I just had to write it. Does this make me a sadist? Probably...but I finished it and here it is. Olicity with some guest stars. Warning: you might need tissues for this one. _

**In Her Memories**

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It was supposed to be a nice dinner where she got to witness more smiles than usual, where she could stare at him and hold his hand if she wanted, where they could flirt and exchange witty banter somewhere other than the Foundry or their new Layer without Digg and Roy's snarky comments or knowing looks. He was supposed to walk her home and kiss her, pushing her up against the front door. They were supposed to have one day where nothing bad happened. _One day._

But they couldn't even get that.

She really has a terrible love life, Felicity reflects as she stares at the scene in front of her. She really should be freaking out more considering she's staring at herself on a metal table with blood covering her face. It's a pity because she really looked beautiful in that dress and now it's stained with her blood. Not to mention the matted blood in her hair.

Her eyes drift up to the lost hero staring down at her, yelling as tears stream down his face. It's the words that get to her:

"PLEASE! FELICITY YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! FELICITY!"

Digg and Roy are staring from the sidelines and their inaction is enough to tell her that she's not going to make it. Hell, she's not even inside her own body anymore. She's literally watching her boys from the outside looking in. There isn't a single dry eye in the room.

God! What a terrible cliché! The hero finally finds happiness and it gets ripped away. Felicity snorts, shaking her head. She should be sadder about her own death. She's not going to be walking around anymore. She won't get another kiss from Oliver. That's probably the most devastating thing. The one they had shared at the hospital that morning had been...magical. She had been looking forward to repeats of that moment. And his smiles...his breathtaking smiles.

She walks over, surprised at how normal it feels. She runs her hand over Oliver's arm, over the ash and blood stains. She can feel him under her hands, but he doesn't acknowledge her at all.

"You better not turn back into Sir Broods-a-lot." A tear leaks out with a watery laugh. And once it starts, she can't hold back the tears as much as she tries. "I'll never forgive myself if you never smile again." She sighs, rubbing his back as she leans into him, the usual warmth no longer available as comfort. "Besides, this wasn't your fault. I threw myself in front of you, hero. You can't blame yourself for my decisions. You know how this works. The city needs you more than it needs me. You're more important."

She wipes at her tears and turns to her other two boys. Maybe they're somehow hearing her in their subconscious. "And you two: don't let him shut you out. Make sure he smiles again. Because if he backtracks, I am holding both of you personally responsible and I will kick your asses. Got it?"

"I couldn't have put it any better myself."

She spins around in shock, but even as a ghost she apparently suffers from coordination issues and falls backwards. Instead of finding herself groaning from the impact of the metal table behind her, Felicity falls through it, a curious chill passing through her body. A male voice chuckles as a hand sticks out to help her up.

Bobbing back into a standing position, Felicity finds herself face to face with Tommy Merlyn. She looks past him in confusion for the source of the female voice. Her mouth falls open as it lands on Moira Queen. Beside her towers a man Felicity has never seen in person before, but she undoubtedly recognizes him as Robert Queen. She can see so much of Oliver in him. He smiles, nodding to her in respect.

"How? What?" Felicity points between the three of them, mouth working overtime, surprisingly at a complete loss for words.

"This is limbo."

Felicity turns slower this time to find a young Chinese woman dressed all in black. Again, recognition dawns on her. "Shado."

She smiles and nods. Felicity glances at Oliver crying over her body and back at the woman. Shado narrows her eyes in contemplation of the blonde. "We're here to show you the way."

"So it's real? I'm dead?" Suddenly Felicity doesn't feel warm anymore. "I mean, I kinda figured but its so bizarre. Is this what it's like to be dead? You just sort of hang out? And no offense, but why are you guys here to show me the way? I mean, I only really talked to one of you and Mrs. Queen you hated me so I'm a little confused."

Robert throws his head back and laughs loudly. Tommy and Shado smirk at her ramble. Moira scowls, still obviously not pleased with the turn of events.

"We came to get you, Miss Smoak, because of how important you are to Oliver." Richard moves forward, pulling away from Moira. He places a hand on the IT girl's shoulder. "You made him a better man."

"He did that all on his own." Oliver has his father's eyes, she thinks as she stares into his.

Robert Queen raises an eyebrow, but doesn't contradict her.

"It's time to go." Moira scowls, refusing to make eye contact with Felicity as she turns away.

Felicity turns back to her boys, still living, still grieving in their Lair. She can't leave them alone. They need her. None of them can operate a computer sufficiently. They'll be caught in days without her. Another hand lands on her shoulder and she lifts her eyes to Tommy's.

"It's not goodbye. You can still look over them, but you can't stay here. You have to move on too."

Blinking back tears, Felicity nods. She walks back over to Oliver and places a kiss on his cheek, squeezing her arm one last time. More tears leak under her eyelids as she tries to hold them back. With a final, shaking breath, she turns from the man she loves and follows the rest of his loved ones into the unknown afterlife.


	25. It's a Date

_Prompt from HiDere: _Roy and Felicity have to pretend that they are dating for a mission and Oliver gets jealous _...its not incredibly original and I turned it into something with a bunch of fluff because I got 100 followers on tumblr! YAY! So enjoy! _

**It's a Date**

"Roy, I need you!"

She winces inwardly as he turns from his target practice to stare at her with wide eyes and an amused twist of his lips.

"That's not...what I meant was: I need your _help_." She groans, pushing her glasses up to massage the bridge of her nose. "Normally, I wouldn't ask you, but Oliver and Digg are out of town until tomorrow and this really needs to be done tonight and I can't do it alone. I mean, I could, but I need you to do the flirty-flirt while I do my techie know how. You know?"

"Flirty-flirt?"

"Yes. I need you to distract her while I put a bug on her phone."

"And who do you want me to flirt with?"

She waves her hand absentmindedly, turning slightly back to her computers and the woman's profile. "Her name's Elena Vega. She's the only connection we have to the masked man killing people in the Glades."

"No offense, Blondie, but I don't think this is going to work. She's forty and I'm nineteen. She doesn't look like a cougar."

Felicity frowns, but waves the idea away. "No. You'll be fine. Besides you're not going there to expressly flirt with her."

"But you just said-"

"I only need to get close enough to clone her phone. You don't actually have to flirt with her." Felicity spins her chair back around to face Roy. His face is scrunched up in a way that reminds her of an adorable cute animal as he tries to figure it out.

"So you want me to flirt with you?" He enunciates each word.

"Yup." Felicity grabs her jacket and he notices her casual outfit for the first time. "Now, let's go. I've tracked her to the coffee shop on seventh. We have to leave now if we want to catch her."

She shoves her phone into her back pocket and starts towards the stairs. Halfway up, her eyes land back on Roy who hasn't moved. She notices the grimace on his face. "Come on, Roy! We need to go _now_. What are you waiting for?"

"You _want _me to flirt with you?"

"Is that going to be a problem, Roy? I mean, I know I'm not Thea-level pretty, but I pride myself on not being completely ugly. I like to think I'm cute in a geeky kind of way. If it helps, you can totally just pretend I'm Thea. Or we can make it like an awkward first date. I just promised Digg I wouldn't take crazy risks without back up, so you sort of have to come with me."

"No. It's just..." He flounders for a moment, mouth opening and closing before racing up the stairs two at a time. "I wasn't saying you weren't pretty, Blondie...because you are. I just don't want Oliver to kick my butt."

"He's not going to kick your butt. You're being ridiculous." She pulls out her keys as they reach her car.

He sighs. "Right...completely ridiculous."

...

"Seriously, Roy! Just put your arm around me," Felicity whispers angrily. She needs him to cover up what she's doing with her phone, but he seems to be trying to maintain a certain distance between them.

Haltingly he follows her instructions. Leaning into him, she's finally able to get her phone to connect with Elena's and she grins triumphantly, allowing a small fist pump. She types in a couple of commands and relaxes back into Roy's arm with a sigh as the download starts.

Roy stiffens at her movement. "You could at least pretend you're enjoying yourself, Roy. Am I really that repulsive?"

She finally glances up from her phone to look at his face, a lot closer than she thought it would be. His gaze is fastened on the window, eyes wide as he stares out the window. She follows his gaze to Oliver standing outside the window, murder in his eyes.

"Oh!"

"Oh? Really? That's all you have to say? He's going to kill me." Roy's voice comes out in a near whine, head falling back as his arm is extricated from over his shoulders. Her phone dings at 100% as Oliver heads for the door.

"He wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow." She mutters, stuffing her phone into her pocket. "And what the hell is he doing here anyway? I'm pretty sure Oliver Queen doesn't go to coffee shops. Not that there's any reason he wouldn't just that it makes no sense why he's here. At all. And you don't need to look so scared, Roy. It's not like you did anything wrong. I'm not going to let him kill you. I don't understand why he's so grrrr anyway..."

She grabs Roy's hand to drag him outside, pretending not to notice his grimace as they push past the long line and start down the street, Oliver following them a few paces behind. Once they round the corner, Roy pulls his hand from hers, consciously putting distance between them before Oliver catches up, but Felicity spins to take him on first.

"What the hell was that?!"

Oliver pulls them to the side, sparing a sideways glare for Roy. "Better question: what the hell were you two doing? And what are you wearing?"

Indignantly, Felicity places her hands on her hips. You'd think the man had never seen jeans and a sweater before! "I'm blending in! I thought you were still in Metropolis."

"We got back early. Were you on a date? Are you two dating?"

"What?"

"NO!" They both shoot Roy a glare and he backs up with his hands in the air, tripping a little over his own feet and nearly falling into Digg.

"So. What. The. Hell. Was. That?"

Felicity steps up close to him, not so far infuriated that she forgets they're in public. "I was getting you the information you wanted, Mr. Queen. You're welcome."

He grimaces after her as she turns on her heel and stalks away from the rest of them, moving faster in her sneakers than she normally does in heels. She's royally pissed and he's in trouble now. He glances sideways at Roy and Digg. The boy looks terrified and Digg wears his usual amused smile. He scowls at them before following the blonde through the streets back to their lair.

...

She pulls the baggy sweater over her head and throws it forcefully at her chair, pulling the clones phone from her pocket and tossing it on the metal table even as she hears footsteps on the stairs behind her. Without turning, she knows its Oliver behind her.

"The first words out of your mouth better be an apology or I don't want to hear it," she warns, tapping a couple keys to bring her computers to life without turning around.

"Felicity..."

"That doesn't sound like an apology." She spins back to him, poking him in the chest, trying not to show her surprise at his proximity. "I had a chance to get your information and I needed Roy's help. There is absolutely no reason for you to be all GRRRR. I had to force him into coming anyway because I'm apparently not his type. And you better tell him you're not going to kill him. For some reason he thinks that's going to happen."

"I'm not going to kill him."

"I know that, but he was pretty freaked out when he saw you through the coffee shop window. How did you find us there anyway? No. Don't answer that. I texted Digg about that because neither of you were answering your phones. But if I texted Digg, that means you knew exactly what we were doing there so why the hell are you so angry?"

He avoids her eyes guiltily and she takes another step forward, squinting at him. It takes all of Oliver's control not to meet her eyes and blurt out the truth. How can he tell her he's just jealous? After the 'I Love You' they've finally gotten back to a good place and he doesn't want to jeopardize that. Where are Digg and Roy? Shouldn't they be back now to rescue him from this conversation?

"Oliver?"

He sighs, eyes on the ceiling before slowly lowering inch by inch to meet her azure eyes with anger still flashing in their depths. Like a strike to the gut, he's suddenly breathless with the urge to kiss her. He forces the breath into his lungs as he lifts his lips in a smile. "I don't want you taking crazy risks."

She tilts her head, not buying the excuse. She crosses her arms over her camisole and this time Oliver's forcing his eyes to keep staring into hers. "Try again."

He doesn't realize he's moved until he feels her cheek cupped in his outstretched hand and that terrifies him almost as much as the contact soothes him. He runs his thumb along her cheek as her head leans into his touch. He doesn't know what to say. He's never been good with words and he knows what he wants right now, but he has no idea how to get there.

"Oliver, are you okay?" She frowns at him, but doesn't move away from his touch.

"Yeah...I'm just...I want to keep you safe."

"And I was safe today. That's why I forced Roy into coming with me."

"You should have waited for me."

"Roy is capable of guarding me. And I am capable of taking care of myself, Oliver." She moves back to break contact because she doesn't want to have this conversation. She's already taken to bringing someone with her. She doesn't need a repeat of the incident with the Count. But she doesn't get very far because Oliver wraps his hand around her elbow to pull her back towards him.

"That's not what I meant." They stare into each other's eyes as Oliver takes a deep breath and finally speaks with his heart. "I meant it should have been me with you."

"Oh."

His mouth twitches as he's reminded of the night in the mansion, but he isn't going to mess it up this time by pressing a vial into the palm of her hand. "Felicity Smoak, would you like to go to dinner with me? As in a date...a dinner date...with me...tonight..." He wonders for a second if he should say something more, if he's not being clear enough, but a smile brighter than the sun lights up her face.

"Yes."

He couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face. Joy radiates from him as he stares into her eyes. Felicity catches her bottom lip with her teeth and his thumb brushes out to free it instinctively. The air around them is charged and Oliver finally gives in a little bit of his control, taking a slight step forward as he lowers his head and lightly kisses her, giving her the chance to pull back. But her small hands wrap around his wrists to keep him close and she rises on tip toes to increase their contact. They melt into each other, tongues intertwining as contented moan escape both of them.

Seconds or minutes later, Oliver pulls slightly away, resting his forehead on hers as he catches his breath. He wants her more than anything he's ever wanted in his life, but he's not going to mess this up. His eyes meet her wide ones again and he knows this is it. He's found the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with.


	26. Be Careful What You Say

**Prompt from a friend: **_Someone (idk who would but someone) making fun of Felicity's "Felicitiness" and Oliver shutting them down completely _

_... _

**Be Careful What You Say**

"Oliver, you really need to have a talk with your help."

He forces a smile on his face, aiming for polite as he turns to face the arrogant ass, Carter Bowen. "Carter! How nice of you to come!" And completely unnecessary. He thought he told Felicity to take him off the list.

"About that...Your man at the door told me he couldn't find my name on the list. He refused to let me in, so my mother had to bring me as her plus one. Whoever set up your list is obviously slacking. It is just so hard to find good help these days. Everyone wants money for doing nothing. No one appreciates hard work anymore."

So she had remembered to take him off the list. Oliver sighs. And there was no way he could have snubbed his mother's friend by not inviting her. And Diggle couldn't refuse him as plus one.

"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." Oliver's eyes search around the room for his blonde assistant.

"Which I tried to tell that blonde assistant, but she just started babbling. She was the most infuriatingly unprofessional person I have ever met. You should fire her before she starts to harm your business. I'm sure it's her incompetency that got me kicked off the list."

"Really?" Oliver asks, concentrating his anger into his fists jammed into his pockets so he doesn't punch Carter Bowen in the middle of his smug face.

"Really. She greeted us when we walked in. Mom was charmed, but I found her speech to be too crass and her bumbling to put on display her utter lack of respect for the pedigree of the investors here. You should speak to her. She's walking over here now. If you want, I could give her some pointers."

Oliver grimaces as he turns to Felicity offering her an unsure smile, smoothing out the fabric of her green dress. He smiles again seeing her in it, secretly marking her as his. Surprising her, he pulls her in close and kisses her, her mouth parted in a surprised 'oh' against his. He bands one arm around her waist, the other moving up to cup her cheek as she grips the lapel of his jacket.

Carter sputters to the side, glancing around for an escape as Oliver reluctantly pulls away from the girl in front of him, turning back to Carter and leaving a hand on the small of her back.

"Carter, I'd like you to meet Felicity Smoak...my girlfriend. And there was no mistake. You didn't receive an invite and you weren't on the list. Felicity is great at her job. She might babble when she's nervous, but she smarter and more compassionate than you will ever be. Have a nice night."

Oliver leads a confused, startled blonde away from a flabbergasted prick, smirking contentedly to himself.

"What was that about?" Felicity asks, looking up curiously.

"Nothing to worry about." He leans down and kisses her on the cheek, resisting the humming in his blood telling him to take her upstairs, away from the party where he can have her all to himself. "Let's just mingle. The faster we make small talk with everyone, the faster we can leave."

She chuckles and he leans closer to whisper in her ear. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look in that dress?"

"Oliver," she warns, biting her lip as she looks up at him, doing weird things to his insides.

He sighs, knowing the truth of her words. "Fine. Let's go talk to the Marshes next." And he leads her to the next elderly couple, mind still occupied with exactly what he's going to do to her later. It's a good thing they don't have to work tomorrow.


	27. If I Had A Brother

_Prompt from HiDere: Hi again! So I was wondering if you could do a one shot of Felicity and Roy just being friends? Like just their friendship... _

_A/N: This takes place after the speculated date fiasco. It's a little into season 3. _

_..._

**If I Had a Brother...**

The fries taste like cardboard in her mouth, which is a tragedy because usually the food at Big Belly Burger is the perfect amount of fatty, greasy goodness. She throws the fry back into the basket, slumping back against the red-cushioned booth. At least she managed a couple handfuls of fries. She barely managed a single bite of the of the burger, but it tasted bland.

"You've gotta eat, Blondie."

She glares across the table at Roy, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not hungry. I don't get why we had to do this here. I could just go home. If this Cupid girl is targeting me, she'd follow me home too and she'd probably be more likely to actually attack me there in private than out here in public. Unless...you don't want her to attack me. That's not the plan. He wants to catch her watching me. And you're here to make sure I stay here while they do their thing."

Roy grimaces, continuing to munch on his own fries, his double-cheeseburger already demolished. "He just wants you safe. Besides, you have to eat. You haven't been eating, Blondie."

"I've been eating, Roy. Not that it's any of your business."

"No. You haven't. You've been nibbling on your food, but mostly just moving it around your plate. You're losing weight. Oliver's not the only one who's worried. Digg and I are too. You haven't been the same since..."

"Since the date?" She glares at her food as if it offends her. Things haven't been the same since the date-gone-wrong. There's still that lingering sexual tension, the meaning filling every motion, but he's keeping his distance. He's trying to be there for her while remaining a couple steps away.

Roy sighs. "Look, Felicity, about that..."

"Don't. Roy, just don't." She stuffs another fry into her mouth more for something to do than anything. She doesn't want this going out over the comms. She's too strong. She won't be the one to cry. She won't break down in front of one of her boys, even if they all know how much she's hurting, it won't be real until she cries and she won't do that. Not now.

"We're alone, Felicity. No one's listening in. No comms." He reaches across and pops one of her fries into his mouth. "It's just us. Digg and the Boss man are outside, yes, but they can't hear us and we can't hear them."

"Roy." Felicity rests her head in her hands before taking a deep breath and looking into Roy's eyes. "We had a bad date. I'm not going to turn into a sniveling puddle because of one bad date. And if you guys don't have to talk about your feelings then neither do I, so just drop it, Roy."

"Your _bad date_ ended in an explosion where you almost died. You're allowed to be upset, Blondie. Trust me, you have to let it out."

"So how did you draw the short straw, Roy?"

He tries to look upset as he huffs back into the seat, but she can see the determination and worry in his eyes. "I volunteered, Blondie. Now, don't get too sentimental on me. You've looked out for me since Thea left. You've been taking care of all of us, but someone needs to take care of you. Besides, Oliver is being an idiot."

Felicity smiles, not entirely comforted, but she feels a little less alone.

"Now, keep eating. We're not leaving until you finish that burger and those fries. Come on, Blondie! I've seen you devour this stuff in the blink of an eye." He glances around, running a hand through his hair as his eyes take in the whole restaurant.

She slowly picks up the burger and swallows a thick bite. She glances back outside at the darkness. "So, do you think they've found her yet?"

"They promised to text as soon as they're done." Roy drains his drinks with a noisy slurp of his straw.

"So you're playing babysitter? I can take care of myself, Roy."

"Actually, I prefer bodyguard. And it's really for my own comfort. Imagine how broody Oliver would get if anything happened to you. And when he's broody he takes it out on me in training, so I'm really just being incredible selfish."

Felicity smiles down at her burger. "Thanks, Roy." She lifts her eyes to his. "I mean it. Thank you."

He nods, crossing his arms again and nods to her plate. "No problem. Now finish that burger. You promised we would finish Game of Thrones this weekend and I'm not letting you off the hook just because you've got a crazy woman targeting you."

Felicity smirks and takes another bite. Roy has definitely grown on her, like the little brother she never had. She's going through an emotional wringer, but she still has her family and that's what matters.


	28. Our Girl

_Olicity prompt: Felicity can take care of herself, but the rest of Team Arrow make sure everyone knows that Felicity Smoak is never to be harmed/insulted._

**Our Girl**

It takes her longer than she cares to admit to realize just how protective her team is. Of course, she knows they keep an eye on her all the time. She's not stupid. Of their small group, she obviously the weakest, but she's not defenseless. Digg's been working with her, and Sara too, when she's not in Nanda Parbat. She can take down a grown man, but Oliver's not too keen on testing that. She goes out in the field. She's proved her worth in that capacity with the whole Slade incident. But there's more to it and she only realizes it on mission.

There's a new club in town, _The Enchanted Forest_, which Oliver and Roy suspect of being the base of a group kidnapping young people. They disappear without a trace – their last known whereabouts the club – but the police have no evidence condemning the club. So tonight it's time for them to make a move. Oliver Queen is too recognizable to go undercover this time and Digg's too old to fit in the victims' age range. So that leaves her and Roy.

She sees Oliver's stern look to Roy in the Foundry once she steps out of the bathroom in her clubbing attire. She doesn't have much in the way of "club clothes": she wasn't much of partier, preferring to spend her nights with her computers for most of college. She makes exceptions for her friends so she has a few tight dresses hidden in the depths of her closet. Tonight's number is your typical "little black dress" ensemble. Her back is almost entirely bare due to the halter top back. The whole dress is held up with a sequined black hem that wraps around her neck the front of her neck to move behind her arms before it criss-crosses below her breasts in front to move around her lower back and complete the halter design. The dress itself falls about midway down her thighs, but with her sides and back exposed, Felicity feels nearly naked.

She pads out of the bathroom in bare feet, pulling her hair temporarily back as she sifts through her bag for her fuchsia lipstick. A strangled noise makes her look up, meeting Oliver's wide eyes as he takes in her outfit. Her heart races at the desire plain in his eyes, heat gathering in her belly as unmitigated desire courses through her veins, but they haven't acknowledged the "I love you" and she knows this won't last so she just smiles and disappears back to the bathroom to reapply her lipstick.

It's reluctantly that Oliver sends them into the club and she can tell from Roy's look that they both know it's because of her. They wait together in line, Felicity resisting the near-constant urge to shiver as she feels leering eyes on her. She's not sure if it's her imagination or real, but Roy edges closer to her in the line and she feels a bit better as he drops an arm over her shoulders.

"What are you guys doing?" Oliver growls into the comms. "You're supposed to be getting into the club."

"Well, I'm sorry if my efforts to get these creeps to leave Felicity alone are getting in the way of your master plan," Roy mutters, leaning into Felicity as if talking to her.

She shifts closer to Roy at the thought. "This is why I hate clubbing. Besides, if it was Sara and I here we could have just walked straight in. No offense Roy, but two hot girls could have passed the line. I could probably get in by myself right now and just walk past the guys at the door."

"You know that's an exaggeration right? That never works."

"I've done it before." Felicity humphs, scowling at a skeptical Roy. "Well, not just me. It was me and my roommate Mellie back in college. They didn't even card us after she sweet-talked the guy. And then I was always the one who had to talk our way into Bruno's because the guy had a thing for blondes. It's a pity Sara isn't back yet. Maybe we should have asked Laurel."

"You and Laurel aren't trained in the field." She rolls her eyes at Oliver's my-word-is-law voice, undoubtedly accompanied by his Arrow glare to the poor, unsuspecting computer.

"I'm not saying we would go in without back up. But then we wouldn't have to wait in this ridiculous line and you and Roy could sneak in the back without having to deal with all this crap either. This is the reason I hate people. Its days like this I almost give up and decide to be an old cat lady."

Roy chuckles at her side as they move forward in the line. "I hate to say it, boss, but she does have a point. This line is going to take forever..."

"You. You can come in." Felicity freezes as the buffed bouncer points at her.

"M-m-me?"

He nods. All in all, he's not as tall or muscle-y as Diggle and he's staring at her with a vague sort of indifference: he looks bored with his job.

"Can my friend come with me?" She loops her arm through Roy's and flashes the man the same smile that got her into those bars in college. "I couldn't go in without him."

The man sighs laboriously. "Fine. The two of you." He holds up the rope to let them under and they walk right through the door where Felicity swears she spontaneously loses her hearing.

"Looks like you've caught someone's eye," Roy comments dryly. The only reason she hears him is because of the comm lodged firmly in her ear. She follows his glare to a man swaggering toward them. A couple of buttons remain undone on his shirt and he shoots her that charming smile that is apparently in every good-looking man's arsenal. It shouts that he's handsome and charming and that he knows it.

"Hey, sweetheart. What's your name?"

She flips her hair and smiles brightly. "Meghan! And this is my brother, Joe! I'm visiting him from Central City and he told me that he heard this place was great! And I assume you're to thank for the welcome." She gestures back at the entrance.

He slips an arm around her waist and ushers her further into the club, weaving around the edge to the separated VIP section. She tries not to pull away from his touch on her bare back. She really should have rethought the dress.

"You are too good at this, Blondie. If you want me to get rid of this guy, I can do that."

She glances sideways with a raised eyebrow before turning back to her guide with a smile. It was a little harmless flirting and touching with Roy making a couple friends by the bar. She knows the team is watching her back, but the man, who introduced himself as Zach, is sticking to her like glue. He wasn't leaving her alone. His touches are starting to get more invasive, but she knows she can stop him if he tries anything.

"Have you guys seen anything?" Oliver asks, irritation evident in his voice.

"Nope." Felicity smacks her lips on the "p" turning to look at the room. Zach's hand starts to wander up her leg and she moves away. "I'm just going to visit the ladies room."

She makes a quick exit, making eye contact with Roy before slipping through the crowds. "I'm not seeing anything suspicious. There're a couple of back rooms." She wanders past the bathrooms, trying various doors she finds. "They're all locked though. Now, if someone had taught me how to pick locks this wouldn't be a problem."

"Aren't you the curious one, Meghan?"

She spins around to face Zach, falling against the wall as if slightly drunk. She lets a giggle bubble up. "I seem to have lost my way to the bathroom. Can you point me in the right direction?"

"I don't think you were really looking for the bathroom." He uses his body to press her back into the wall and she hears angry cursing through the comms, knowing her boys are on their way.

"R-r-really?"

"You were looking for somewhere more private for us." One of his hands gropes her breast and Felicity reacts instantly, thrusting her knee into his groin and slipping away, back towards the dance floor. He manages to grab her hand, but before he can pull her back Roy delivers a swift punch to his jaw, sending Zach sprawling.

"No one touches her without her permission," he growls down at the man, now nursing a split lip.

"You little _bitch_!" Blood and spit splatter on the floor as he swipes at his mouth with the back of his hand.

An additional kick to the face and Zach is sprawled on the floor. "And no one insults our girl either."

"I had it handled, Roy." Her heart swells though at his valiant defense of her.

"Nobody messes with our girl," he tells her simply. "I've got her guys. We're getting out of here now. We can figure out some other way to go this later." He grabs her hand and pulls her back towards the entrance.

"Not so fast. Where are you going in such a hurry?" She doesn't recognize the man in front of her except that he seemed to be lurking on the edge of the VIP lounge, following Zach around. Definitely a bodyguard.

"You might want to take care of your boss. He got a little turned around." Roy tries to shoulder past the man, but he bounces back.

"The boss is the boss. He gets what he wants."

"You see, we have this rule: no one hurts or insults our girl. Your boss did both, which is unforgivable. You're just lucky I got to him before _my boss_." Roy smirks smugly and Felicity can't help but wonder where this is coming from.

"And who do you work for kid?"

"He works for me." Barely concealed anger laces Oliver's voice as he delivers a punch that knocks the bodyguard on his ass. Felicity rolls her eyes and turns back to the locked doors, but Oliver grabs her arm before she gets more than two steps. "Where are you going? We need to get out of here."

"No. We're here now, so we might as well look. There's a computer here somewhere that I should at least be able to bug."

In his face she sees the indecision: he wants her safe and out of here, but they have the perfect opportunity to do something. "Fine, but we make it quick. Roy, keep an eye on these guys. Make sure they stay out."

They find the computer systems behind door number two and Felicity chuckles as she finds the same system they used at Verdant. She sets the computer trap and they're out of the club before Zach and his bodyguard have even moved. On the ride back to the foundry, she rests her hand on Roy's forearm, squeezing it to get his attention.

"Thank you for what you did, but I think that whole 'rule' thing was a bit too far." It's his sideways glance at Oliver tells her it's not just something he said. She doesn't say anything into the ensuing silence, just leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

She turns forward again and smiles out the windshield of the car. At times they can be overly protective, but she loves her boys and she knows she'll always be safe with them.


	29. Back Then Snippet

_**Prompt: **__annelise:Awesome...Could you please write one where felicity is sent to the past _

_Thank you so much for this prompt, annelise! I loved writing for this one. I posted a snippet here, but the full story is listed by the title Back Then because it ended up being over then pages long and I didn't want to put the whole thing in this collection of drabbles because the longest story here is less than half the length of this. _

_To read the whole thing go to: Back Then _

_I hope you like it! Send me feedback to let me know what you think! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or any characters._

...

**Back Then**

"Tommy, please tell me you see her," Oliver bats at his best friend's hand, staring in shock at the woman who just appeared in the middle of the mansion foyer. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a messy bun and she's barefoot despite the fancy emerald green cocktail dress that flows to a stop halfway down her thighs. It's a modest, fairly simple dress but Ollie finds himself thinking that he has a new favorite color.

Tommy nods, slowly. "She just appeared out of nowhere."

Just then the girl glances around. Her eyes land on Oliver and Tommy, her eyes widening. "Fudge."

Oliver grins at her lack of profanity, sauntering down the stairs to meet her on the ground floor. "Hey, I'm Oliver Queen, but my friends call me Ollie."

Her blue eyes are wide as she turns to take in the room. It's only as she spins that he notices the strange metal device in her hands. He exchanges a curious look with Tommy who looks just as intrigued by the girl. No, Ollie thinks, that's not right. She's a woman, at most in her late twenties, but her glasses slipping down her nose give her the appearance of being younger.

"Fudge, fudge, fudge. He's going to kill me." She mutters, turning back around. "Not to mention how much he'll be freaking out. And he was already worried. Now, if only I knew how this thing actually worked." She starts fiddling with wires before her head bounces back up to Oliver and Tommy. "Do you have a screwdriver? Wow. Stupid question. Of course you have a screwdriver. What I meant, was do you have one I could use?"

His mouth drops open in surprise at the rant before shifting into a grin. "Yeah, I got a screwdriver. I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."

She stares at him blankly, eyes darting back to Tommy. "Right...look. I just need to fix this thing and I'll be out of your hair." She holds up an orb of some sort with colorful wires sticking out and a couple random buttons. "But one ground rule: no hitting on me, either of you. So where can I find a screwdriver?"

Tommy chuckles and turns to Oliver. "I like her. Can we keep her?"

...

****YOU CAN READ THE WHOLE STORY AT s/10753285/1/Back-Then ****


	30. You Don't Have to Worry About Me

_A/N: I got a prompt for a Felicity/Diggle friendship drabble. This takes place AFTER 3x01, presumably during 3x02 (but that's just speculation on my part. This deals with some things that went down in 3x01 and as such is not the happiest of pieces. But I hope you like it. Send me feedback to let me know what you think. Thanks! _

_..._

**You Don't Need to Worry About Me**

"I'm fine, John. I promise. Of as fine as anyone could be given the circumstances."

He watches her skeptically, but he's forced to agree as she systematically transfers still-gooey cookies from the metal cookie tray to a china plate with a yellow canary painted on the bottom. Like the rest of them, her eyes are puffy and red from crying, but she's put together even in her misery and holding her head high. He doesn't know what he expected: fewer rambles, maybe a lingering scent of mint ice cream. He expected to find her with her whole life falling apart.

"I mean, it's not easy. We all lost a good friend. Sara was amazing. She was a hero we can't replace, not that we need to replace her. It's just...she was nice to me. And we actually got to be friends...we went to this one coffee shop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. We would just sit there and people watch until I had to go to work or we needed to head to the Foundry. Or we would just talk. And now there's so much I want to talk to her about, but she's not here..."

Digg pulls her into his arms as tears drown out her words, rubbing her back sympathetically. He'd never been one to cry. His father had firmly believed that the Diggle men stood tall and strong, comforting others with their strength in the wake of tragedy. But that doesn't stop the rising sorrow in his gut that threatens to overflow when he thinks on it too much. Sara was his comrade in arms, a dear friend.

"You're not fine, Felicity," he sighs. "None of us are."

She pulls away, dabbing her tears away with the box of tissues that hasn't strayed far from her person since they got the news, since Laurel brought her friend's body down to the Foundry. "She was teaching me to fight, you know. Since the whole thing with Slade, she's been swinging by – her or Nyssa, sometimes both – and they've been working with me. I mean, it's not that I'm any good, but I can defend myself more now. And I was getting better."

"I didn't know she'd been back to the city." He watches her carefully as she continues her baking.

She shoots him a smile over her shoulder. "It was never for very long, and she didn't want everyone to know. She checked in one me and her father, but that was it. And it was always a surprise. I keep expecting her to just show up out of the blue and ask why we're so sad."

He accepts her proffered cookie as she wraps the plate, pausing to stare at the shiny aluminum foil before she shakes herself from her stupor. "How're Lyla and the baby?"

"When I left both were sleeping. With our jobs, we're already used to not getting much sleep, but with a baby it's different. But she's so beautiful..." He stops as he realizes he's smiling into space and Felicity is watching him with her own sad smile.

"We should get going," Digg suggests, pulling the car keys from the pocket of his black pants.

Felicity sniffles. "Yeah, we should go get Oliver." She grabs her plate, following Digg out the door.

"How are the two of you?" He's hesitant to ask the question because he knows what Oliver did, maybe not in as many words but he knows how Oliver thinks, especially when it comes to their girl.

She shrugs in response, lifting her eyes to his across the roof of his car. "I can't wait around for him to figure everything out. I love him, John, but I can't wait for a future that might not come. Part of me will always love him, but I'm not going to spend my life waiting. We're still friends. And I'm still his girl." She smiles sadly, sliding into the passenger seat.

He reaches out to rest a hand on her shoulder as he slides the key into the ignition. She nods in recognition of his comfort before facing forward.

"Let's take this one step at a time: First, we need to get Mr. Broody-Arrow out of the Foundry and to the funeral. He's not missing this one."

As they pull into the Foundry parking lot, he spots Laurel's car already parked by the entrance. Digg glances sideways again, wondering how Felicity will take this. She only pauses a moment before exiting the car and leading the way down to their base and Oliver's temporary home.

"Ollie! Please! You have to train me! I need to get whoever did this!"

They hear Laurel's voice before they find her screaming at Oliver as he sits on his cot. Digg sighs in annoyance at the girl. He understands the drive to work through grief, the need for revenge is something he's familiar with, but he's not a fan of the pull Laurel has over Oliver. It's not healthy for either of them.

"I'm not going to train you, Laurel. Revenge is not the answer. I will find who did this, but she wouldn't want you to get dragged down in this when your life is going so well."

Felicity steps past Digg and he settles back to watch. You don't get between Oliver and Felicity. Oliver's eyes immediately land on her and Digg finds himself sighing at the blatant love and need in the younger man's eyes. The stubbornness of his partners is going to be the death of him one day.

"Oliver, you need to get ready now, if we're going to get there on time." She speaks quietly, but she always has Oliver's undivided attention.

He nods and moves to get changed, brushing past a furious Laurel, who attempts to waylay him again, but Felicity turns back to her computers, turning on the screens to check a couple of her searches. Laurel's shouting continues to echo around the Foundry basement. Digg resists the urge to ask if she's okay one more time.

"You can stop giving me that look, John." She shoots him a look as she straightens. "I'm not going to fall to pieces. Sure in the next couple of hours, I'm going to cry and mourn my friend, but I've already binged on mint ice cream and wine. I'll probably indulge in little more today. It's not going to destroy me, so you can stop worrying. You've got enough on your plate as it is with the new baby. You don't have to worry about me."

Digg nods slowly. "I know. You're strong. It doesn't mean I don't worry."

She sighs, closing her eyes briefly as she nods her understanding. "You guys are my family, John. I couldn't turn away from you even if I wanted to. And I don't want to. We're all going to get through this. And I'm going to spoil your baby girl rotten. I hope you realize that. I already found this adorable little dress that's bright pink and green. I mean, she won't fit into it for a while, but I also have this blanket for her. It's purple. You're going to love it..."

He smiles, appreciating her attempt to lighten the mood. She bobs her head again in response, stemming the flow of words as Oliver joins them. They walk quietly back to the car, Felicity surrounded by her boys, while Laurel follows angrily behind. It's the silence that's the most haunting as they cross town. Silence is final, silence reveals the truth in more ways than one, but they're a family and they're going through this together. Everything will be alright in the end. They don't need to worry...

If only those words would always be true. But their lives are never full of certainties and they wouldn't have it any other way.

...

_A/N 2: And to guest commentor Vaneeta D: I LOVE your prompt and right now I'm leaning towards turning that into a multi-chapter fic. So just so you know, I am going to work with that soon. _

_And just another reminder that the previous drabble (Back Then) is also a longer fic of the same name that continues past where that one left off. I get the feeling not everyone realized that and wanted to leave another reminder because I love the finished product._


	31. The Grief of the Demon's Daughter

_A/N: This drabble takes place after 3x01. It is a companion piece to "You Don't Need to Worry About Me" but you don't have to read that to read this. _

_Warning: This is a sad story. _

_..._

**The Grief of the Demon's Daughter**

This is wrong. It isn't meant to be like this, her love buried in the ground. She was made to fly. Sara was the yellow bird meant to forever roam the sky, free to watch over her city, over her loved ones. She was never meant to rest in the Earth.

Hot tears burn trails down her cheeks as she stares at the dark, dank hole, her hands wrapping around the canary pendant in her hand, the little bird cutting into her palm. Her father hadn't wanted her to come today, but she wasn't about to let that stop her from saying goodbye. This is a permanent death, she can't scour the world and bring her bird back, and her canary had always come back before. She had set her canary free, but her canary had come home once more.

She stands apart from the mourners. She only knows a couple of their number. She was never a part of Sara's life here. It was isolation she craved and yet company wouldn't have been remiss in her misery. So she's surprised when the blonde computer tech wanders over and holds out a yellow rose.

"I thought you might come." She says, make up already smudged and eyes red from tears. "And I figured...canaries are yellow and you loved each other...so this is for you."

Nyssa wraps her fingers around the stem, taking the beautiful flower from the babbling blonde. She remembers the girl: Felicity Smoak, the woman brave enough to face a near-invincible super soldier without any training. She had faced down Nyssa and she assassins with full knowledge of who they were. She had a pure soul. And despite herself, Nyssa found she liked the girl.

"Thank you."

Felicity stares at the woman before turning and standing next to her in an act of support that sent another pang of sorrow to her heart. The yellow rose blurs in front of her as the tears fall faster. The emotions are too much. She wants to bore a hole in her chest and pull out her own heart. It would probably hurt less. If she could have commanded it, she would have had the whole league here to mourn the loss of such a great woman. In her short life, Sara had died twice and came back, but apparently a third miracle was too much to ask for. Whoever did this would pay. She swears it now.

Anger fuels her steps as she walks up and places the yellow rose on top of the casket, leaning down to kiss the wood over her lover's face she whispers in Arabic, "You will be avenged, little bird. Let your soul fly free like the canary you were named for."

It's Quentin Lance who walks forward and brings her back to sit with their family, resting a hand on her shoulder as the rest of the mourners paid their respects. Nyssa is aware of them all, even in her grief. She already knows that Sara's team is keeping watch for whoever did this in the crowd, so she can mourn the loss of her lover.

She's thankful to Quentin for including her with the family as he drags her to the reception full of more people in black. She's never felt quite so lost until this moment. When Sara left the league for the first time, the need to find her and bring her back had overpowered her grief, but now there is no chance of her returning. Back home, white is the color of mourning. All the black is too normal, too common for her after a life with the League as it feels as if her world is ending.

Felicity Smoak hands her a cup of tea as people Nyssa never knew about speak condolences to Sara's parents and sister. She stands between Quentin and Felicity, staring at the amber liquid in her china cup.

She wants her weapons, her uniform so she can search the streets for the person who did this and can teach them what it means to cross the League of Assassins. This grief should not exist. Her canary should still be alive and by her side.

Oliver Queen and his bodyguard are the first to include Nyssa in their condolences. To her, both nod in acknowledgement of her pain. "We're already working on finding him," Oliver whispers, eyes landing on Felicity. His words are pitched low because of their audience. "Felicity will stay here with you and take you back to the lair. We'll meet you there."

She watches them walk away, turning to the blonde beside her. "Let us leave now."

Felicity glances around her and Nyssa senses a presence at her shoulder.

"I'm going with you."

"Laurel..." Felicity warns, a note of steel in her voice that Nyssa did not expect her to be capable of. "You heard what Oliver said, earlier. You're not getting involved in this."

"She was _my_ sister." Laurel growls, earning her nervous looks from her parents.

"Laurel, you're too close to this." Felicity argues, eyes darting around the room.

"And _she's_ not?"

Nyssa allows a dangerous smile to grace her face, her dark eyes glinting. "They know that to try to stop me would result in only pain for them."

"Then take me with you." She grabs Nyssa's arm, fingers digging in.

With a twist of her wrist, the master assassin forces Laurel to release her hand and has her arm twisted behind her back. "You are not trained. You would only get hurt and Taer Asafer would not want you involved. She cared about you too much. You will remain here and safe, as she would want." She turns to Felicity. "Let us head to your lair."

"No! I'm coming with you!" This time she reaches for Felicity, but again Nyssa grabs her, this time spinning her so she falls to her knees.

"I am sorry, but you are needed here. Family is important in times of sorrow. You can lean on each other and you will be better for it."

"Who are you again?" Dinah Lance asks, brow furrowed as she watches her older daughter sob from where she landed on the floor.

"I am Nyssa, daughter of Raj al Ghul, heir to the demon." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "And I loved your daughter with all my heart."

She leaves them with that information that shreds her soul, leading the way from the building knowing Felicity will follow her. She has a job to complete now and she will not leave until her lover's murderer is buried in the cold, hard ground.


End file.
